The Constitution

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The Constitution of the United States was made from scratch in 1787. Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, and James Monroe were some of the most prominent and popular of the founding fathers that helped make it. The Constitution has many elements of it that were a compromise between different factions with in the colonies. Most of the delegates tried to look past their own partial interests in order to create a strong national government for the people. James Madison the "father of the Constitution" drafted a proposed plan of national government. The "Virginia Plan" presented by Edmund Randolph, caught the delegates full attention. The plan was about a three-tiered structure of government with an executive branch and two houses of Congress. Many smaller states objected to this plan because they would not receive as much representation in Congress due to the population of the state. Unlike Articles of Confederation whereas each state had an equal voice regardless of the population. William Paterson of New Jersey would not stand for the smaller states being trampled on by the more populous states. Paterson made the "New Jersey Plan" to counter Madison’s plan on June 15th . It had equal voting from states in a unicameral national legislature and also included the powers to tax and to regulate interstate commerce along with foreign commerce. On June 19th the delegates voted for a three-tiered structure ...

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