Constitutional Convention Essay Outline

The Constitution The Articles of Confederation was America’s first constitution. The Articles of Confederation failed to create a strong central government, however. With the demise of the states in sight, the need for a stronger and more structured central government became apparent. An invitation was sent to all thirteen states in February 1787 by the Confederation Congress to resolve the matter. The events that took place over the next several months would create the United States Constitution.

These powers were suddenly limited because Congress was given no authority to enforce its requests to the states for money or troops. By 1786, it was specious that the Union would soon break up if the Articles of Confederation were not corrected or replaced. There were five states that met in Annapolis, Maryland, to discuss the concern, and all the states were invited to send delegates to a new constitutional convention to be held in Philadelphia. On May 25, 1787, delegates representing every state except Rhode Island assembled at Philadelphia's Pennsylvania State House for the Constitutional Convention. The Independence Hall had earlier seen the recruiting of the Declaration of Independence and the signing of the Articles of Confederation.

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. The idea of a National Executive was first proposed on Tuesday, May 29th, 1787, by Edmund Randolph, Governor of Virginia, during his opening speech of the convention. His proposal, which became known as the Virginia Plan, set out a blueprint for the convention to fol... ... middle of paper ... ...deralists voiced was their dislike of the “four year term with indefinite re-eligibility.” The Constitution called for the President to be elected by the “electoral college” which removed the concern of Congress “controlling” the Executive and the Concern the Executive would appease Congress to be reappointed. The election process would ensure the President was on his best behavior if he desired to be re-elected. By establishing the four year term the Constitution protected the office from becoming a monarchy due to the fact that if a President migrated too much toward monarchical rule they would simply not be re-elected.

In Massachusetts, indebted farmers had risen in revolt against the state's taxation policies – a rebellion that some feared would be imitated elsewhere. Both within and without the Congress, calls were made for increasing its authority. In February 1787, Congress supported a resolution for revising the Articles of Confederation; in May, representatives from twelve states convened in Philadelphia. Rhode Island took no part in the process. The fifty-five delegates who met in the Old State House (Independence Hall) in Philadelphia did more than revise the Articles: they drafted a new document as a replacement.

The Constitution and Individual Rights In the 1780s, many people agreed that the Articles of Confederation were not a strong enough plan of government for a newly born nation. Even though The Articles of Confederation won the Revolutionary War, there were many problems with the plan of government. The Articles of Confederation was made to prevent a strong national government and it only gave each state one vote in the Confederation Congress. It could not raise money and it only had one branch, the Legislature. In 1786, delegates from each state went to Philadelphia to draft a new Constitution for the United States.

After the American Revolution, the United States was strained and in need of a new form of government. Representatives of the colonies decided that there was a need to have a written document that held true to what the union of America stood for. They began with the Articles of Confederation. When the Articles failed to properly organize the country, a new approach was needed. After long nights and many debates the forefather's agreed upon drafting a new Constitution that would hold strong for future generations.

In the Virginia Plan there would be a bicameral legislature, this legislature would be able to make any law. In this plan representation was based on the population size of states. The executive (president) would be elected by the lower house, meaning that only elected officials had the power to select for government officials (Kernell et al., 2014, pg.59). This would give more power to the national government,thus the legislative branch ... ... middle of paper ... ... The Constitution was created by our founders to be a better form of government than that of the British and the Articles of Confederation.

Virginia proposed a bicameral legislature that included elections by the people and appointments by those elected. This system used both wealth and population as a determining factor in regards to the number of seats in both houses. New Jersey on the other hand proposed single house legislature that allow each state a single vote. Votes based on population would put small states at a disadvantage. The states that were more populated would be in control of the legislative branches, leaving small states without a voice.

They also had experience in governing. More than forty of the delegates held high offices in state governments, including three who were governors. The founders believed in the idea that the purpose of government was the protection of individual life, liberty and property. Following the election of George Washington as president of the convention, Governor Edmund Randolph of Virginia presented a draft of a new constitution .The Virginia Plan proposed a two house legislature. A lower house directly elected by the people of the states based on the population, and an upper house elected by the lower house.The congress was to have broad legislative power ,with veto over laws passed by state legislatures.

At the end of the debate, the House had passed twelve proposed amendments from Madison. Within the Virginia Constitutional Committee, Madison drafted and help established the Bill of Rights through the First Congress (p.53, Ellis). The Bill of Rights later on became amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The Articles of Confederation was in need of a... ... middle of paper ... ...o pay off the debts to Britain. Madison did not like the Jay Treaty and he debated in it.