American Government the Five Main Essay

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It separates the various forms of government and does not allow one to become more powerful than another, and it ensures that laws are created fairly, that justice is fair, and that the President does not gain too much power. Essentially, it is the backbone of our Democracy, and that assures our freedom and the public good.

Critics of the Constitution and its support of the public good believe that the laws can promote gridlock in legislation, and that it can make it easier for government leaders to not take responsibility for problems. However, the framers of the Constitution had the citizens in mind, and they formed it to create a Democratic country with the good of the public as a foremost concern.

The Virginia Plan was a plan favored by James Madison, and it had three branches, legislative, executive, and judicial. The legislature chose the executive and judicial branches, and there were two houses. The people elected the House of Representatives, while the state legislatures elected the Senate. The legislature had the power to regulate interstate trade, vote down laws they felt were unconstitutional, and could call out the military to enforce laws. The New Jersey Plan was favored by William Patterson, and it also had the same three branches. In this plan, the legislature appoints the chief executive, and then the chief executive chooses the Supreme Court. There would be only one house, and all states would have same power. The government could regulate trade, levy taxes and duties, and state laws would not be as powerful as national laws.

Larger states favored the Virginia Plan, while smaller states favored the New Jersey Plan, so they fought for a while over the two plans. The Great Compromise was a solution that brought the two plans together after weeks of heated debate. Larger states voted against the New Jersey Plan, while smaller states voted against the Virginia Plan. It looked like the Constitutional Convention would break up without a resolution, so the lawmakers began to compromise, which led to the compromise, which basically established our current form of government.

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Roger Sherman, from Connecticut proposed the Compromise.

Even after the Great Compromise, many delegates were not happy with the Constitution. Two groups formed the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists. The Anti-Federalists did not want to ratify the Constitution. They believed the Constitution gave the national government too much power and the state government too little. They wanted a bill of rights. They did not like that the government could maintain an army, and that Congress and the executive branch held too much power. They wanted each state to have an independent government, and they tended to be working class people. Patrick Henry, Thomas Paine, George Mason, George Clinton, and Luther Martin were all Anti-Federalists.

The Federalists believed the separation of power protected the people, and that we did not need a bill of rights. They thought that a strong government would help unite the states. They were largely wealthier Americans. However, they did draft a Bill of Rights before the Constitution was finally ratified. John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, George Washington, and Benjamin Franklin were all Federalists.

The Bill of Rights was a key link to ratifying the Constitution. Initially, the Federalists did not think we needed a Bill of Rights, but they created one to help pacify the Anti-Federalists, who were not supporting the Constitution. It helped build a bridge between the two groups, and allowed the Constitution to be approved. The Bill of Rights actually became the first 10 Amendments of the Constitution, showing how important it was to the Anti-Federalists, and how the Federalists tried to placate them......

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