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The three branches of the american government
Relationship between three branches of US government in relation to separation of powers
Disputes of the federalist and anti federalist papers
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When the United States of America’s government was first created there were many arguments about the jobs it would have and how much power it would possess. The first document that set the foundation for the national government was the Articles of Confederation. However, it had many weaknesses and denied the government the power to levy taxes and regulate commerce. In addition to denying the national government essential powers, it did not provide for a judiciary branch. Many of the political leaders realized that the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation were issues that needed to be addressed and resolved. As the leaders began to revise the Articles of Confederation, a better solution began to take shape: the Constitution. However, …show more content…
However, before this Constitution could be put into effect it had to have the approval of at least nine states. Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison wrote the Federalist papers to explain and defend the Constitution in hopes that it might help convince the states to approve its ratification. Two of the most well-known papers, both written by Madison, were numbers ten and fifty-one. Number ten deals primarily with the dangers of faction and the ways that the Constitution would defend against it. A large republic is the best way to control the effects of faction. It ensures that worthy candidates will be elected by a larger majority and also allows for a larger society, providing for numerous opinions and ideas, as well as making it difficult for an unjust majority to form. Paper number fifty-one deals with a similar topic, the misuse of power both by the government and by one part of society against the other. If a government cannot effectively govern itself, then it cannot govern its people. In theory, by dividing the power of the national government between three different branches, the Constitution ensures that one branch will not hold more power than the other. This protects the people from oppressive rulers and allows the government to control itself. The society is then broken into multiple different classes, interests, and parts to prevent an unjust majority from forming and compromising the rights of the minority. The Federalist papers provided detailed explanations of the Constitution and helped to secure its ratification in
The Federalist papers were for the constitution being ratified. They were written by James Madison, John Jay, and Alexander Hamilton. They consisted of 85 articles and essays. Most of them were published between 1787 and 1788 although; the author’s names were kept a secret until 1818. Hamilton decided to sign the papers “Publius” to keep his name anonymous. Hamilton was the first to publish an essay and soon picked Madison and Jay to assist him. To their surprise, the Federalist papers influenced many of the New York people to vote for having the constitution ratified. On the contrary, the Anti-Federalist papers did not agree entirely with the new Constitution. They were written by many different authors. Although, some of the more popular Anti-Federalists were Patrick Henry, John Hancock, Sam Adams, etc. They were also 85 Anti-Federalist papers. Much like the federalist papers, they Anti-Federalists adopted the name “Brutus”.
During and after the turmoil of the American Revolution, the people of America, both the rich and the poor, the powerful and the meek, strove to create a new system of government that would guide them during their unsure beginning. This first structure was called the Articles of Confederation, but it was ineffective, restricted, and weak. It was decided to create a new structure to guide the country. However, before a new constitution could be agreed upon, many aspects of life in America would have to be considered. The foremost apprehensions many Americans had concerning this new federal system included fear of the government limiting or endangering their inalienable rights, concern that the government’s power would be unbalanced, both within its branches and in comparison to the public, and trepidation that the voice of the people would not be heard within the government.
In The Federalist Papers by James Madison, Madison discuses various aspects of government and how the government must be organized in order to better represent the people. In The Federalist, No. 10 Madison discusses the nature of political factions and parties and how they can affect the government and its practices. The Federalist, No. 51 discusses instead how the government being in branches helps maintain liberties and better protect the American people. The topics mentioned in The Federalist Papers continue to explain and structure our government today.
The Federalist wanted to ratify the Constitution while the Antifederalist despised the idea entirely. Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay eventually compiled 85 essays as the Federalist Papers. These supporters of the Constitution believed that the checks and balances system (a system in which the different parts of an organization (such as a government) have powers that affect and control the other parts so that no part can become too powerful )would allow a strong central government to preserve states' rights. They felt that the Articles of Confederation was too weak and that they were in need for a change. The Articles of Confederation had “errors” that needed to be corrected argued the Federalist. Ratifying the Constitution lead to an improved more advanced country.
Madison begins perhaps the most famous of the Federalist papers by stating that one of the strongest arguments in favor of the Constitution is the fact that it establishes a government capable of controlling the violence and damage caused by factions. Madison defines that factions are groups of people who gather together to protect and promote their special economic interests and political opinions. Although these factions are at odds with each other, they frequently work against the public interests, and infringe upon the rights of others.
The Independent Journal published the first Federalist essay in 1787, closely following the Constitutional Convention. This was one of 85 essays that were all soon published in support of the Constitution. The essays were all published under the alias name “Publius.” All essays were compiled into a single volume titled The Federalist Papers. The Federalist Papers is considered a significant illustration of American political philosophy under the Articles of Confederation, which were adopted by the Continental Congress. The Articles set up the first legislative system that unified the thirteen states that battled in the American Revolution. A major theme that was discussed in the essays centers around the idea that the United States could not continue to endure under the Articles of Confederation and the weaknesses that accompany it. The Articles gave states the authority to create their own laws, however they were unsuccessful in creating a strong government. The essay suggested that immediate action be taken to prevent the impending anarchy that would ensue under these Articles.
The Constitution is the foundation of our county it represents liberty and justice for all. We are able to live freely and do, as we desire because of the constitution. The constitution was, signed September 17, 1787 at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. It took time and many debates were held before an agreement was achieved in both the drafting and ratification of the constitution. These disagreements came with several compromises before the constitution was fully ratified on May 29, 1790, with Rhode Island being the last and the thirteenth. The First, challenge was the Articles of Confederation; it was a sort of a draft of the Constitution but was weak and inadequate. Second, obstacle was the Anti-Federalists fight for more
By the late eighteenth century, America found itself independent from England; which was a welcomed change, but also brought with it, its own set of challenges. The newly formed National Government was acting under the Articles of Confederation, which established a “firm league of friendship” between the states, but did not give adequate power to run the country. To ensure the young nation could continue independently, Congress called for a Federal Convention to convene in Philadelphia to address the deficiencies in the Articles of Confederation. While the Congress only authorized the convention to revise and amend the Articles the delegates quickly set out to develop a whole new Constitution for the country. Unlike the Articles of Confederation, the new Constitution called for a national Executive, which was strongly debated by the delegates. There were forces on both sides of the issue trying to shape the office to meet their ideology. The Federalists, who sought a strong central government, favored a strong National Executive which they believed would ensure the country’s safety from both internal and external threats. The Anti Federalists preferred to have more power in the hands of the states, and therefore tried to weaken the national Executive. Throughout the convention and even after, during the ratification debates, there was a fear, by some, that the newly created office of the president would be too powerful and lean too much toward monarchy.
During the construction of the new Constitution, many of the most prominent and experienced political members of America’s society provided a framework on the future of the new country; they had in mind, because of the failures of the Articles of Confederation, a new kind of government where the national or Federal government would be the sovereign power, not the states. Because of the increased power of the national government over the individual states, many Americans feared it would hinder their ability to exercise their individual freedoms. Assuring the people, both Alexander Hamilton and James Madison insisted the new government under the constitution was “an expression of freedom, not its enemy,” declaring “the Constitution made political tyranny almost impossible.” (Foner, pg. 227) The checks and balances introduced under the new and more powerful national government would not allow the tyranny caused by a king under the Parliament system in Britain. They insisted that in order achieve a greater amount of freedom, a national government was needed to avoid the civil unrest during the system under the Articles of Confederation. Claiming that the new national government would be a “perfect balance between liberty and power,” it would avoid the disruption that liberty [civil unrest] and power [king’s abuse of power in England] caused. The “lackluster leadership” of the critics of the new constitution claimed that a large land area such as America could not work for such a diverse nation.
The Federalist Papers 10 & 51 were essays which helped persuade the citizens of the United States to vote for the federal Constitution. James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay used pseudonyms as their names to convince the public. Those who were skeptical of voting for a government, which had many different major powers, were reassured by the founding fathers in their speeches and conventions throughout the U.S.
In creating the Constitution, the states had several different reactions, including a rather defensive reaction, but also an understanding reaction. As a document that provided the laws of the land and the rights of its people. It directs its attention to the many problems in this country; it offered quite a challenge because the document lent itself to several views and interpretations, depending upon the individual reading it. It is clear that the founders’ perspectives as white, wealthy or elite class, American citizens would play a role in the creation and implementation of The Constitution.
With the new constitution written, the debate over it arose quickly. In the light of the debate, the Federalists wrote The Federalists Papers to present arguments why this new document would enforce an effective government, unlike the Articles of Confederation. A major concern addressed was representation in a country with a large population. Citizens were concerned that they would have difficulty expressing individual opinions and influencing the government. James Madison wrote “Federalist Paper 10” in order to address the concerns in regard to the democratic political process. In American population at the time were deeply concerned with the issue that majority faction present. Madison proposed that by “extending[ing] the sphere … [there is] a greater variety of parties and interests … [and] it [is] less probable that a majority of the whole will have a common motive to invade the rights of other citizens” (Madison 78). Essentially, Madison argues that with a more diverse group of people, there will always be a need to negotiate and compromise in order to reach an answer that is satisfying to all interest parties. As an advocate for a large
Federalists Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay wrote a collection of over 80 influential articles and essays regarding the ratification of the United States Constitution which formed into “The Federalist Papers.” It became an American contribution to the literature on federalism, constitutional democracy, and Western Political thought. The authors wrote the federalist papers to persuade americans into ratifying the constitution in order to not repeat the mistakes with the Articles of Confederation. In the papers, the federalists discuss the defects of the present government, the Articles of Confederation and the new constitutions’ different components of the legislature, executives, and judicial branches.
The Federalist Papers were a collection of eighty-five essays that each gave reason to the Republican government described in the United States Constitution. James Madison wrote The Federalist Papers with the help of Alexander Hamilton and John Jay. Their intent was to promote the ratification of the Constitution. Among those essays is Federalist No. 10, arguably the most known of them all for the reaction it received from US citizens. The idea and growth of factions was behind the main argument in this essay (Teaching American History). The truth within the writing adds to why this essay has been held as one of the most important.
Federalist paper number ten is by far one of the most famous American essays to be written. James Madison begins this essay by stating that one of the greatest accomplishments of the constitution, is its ability to be capable of controlling violence and damage caused by factions. The paper was written to address the problems with factions in a republic and Madison’s proposed way of guarding against factions and the damage that they can cause.