Ideas that Shaped the Constitution
The Federalist Papers were a series of 85 articles and essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay encouraging the ratification of the U.S. Constitution. The papers were published between 1787 and 1788 in New York. Alexander Hamilton wrote the majority of the letters. He write 52 letters, James Madison wrote 28 followed by John Jay who contributed the remaining 5. Hamilton wanted a new national government that had complete political authority. He disliked state governments and believed that they should be eliminated entirely.
I will discuss 3 main ideas regarding the Federalist Papers. The Federalist Papers wanted to protect the people as a whole, not just individuals. Before the U.S. Constitution was formed, the …show more content…
The articles of confederation were written to oversee the 13 original states after breaking away from Great Britain in 1776.
The articles of confederation failed for many reasons. The main reason was that the states had too much power leaving the federal government weak. There was no one person in charge, there was no executive branch. Congress didn’t have any power; decisions had to be approved by all 13 states.
Drafted during the years 1776 and 1777, while the colonists were still fighting for independence, the Articles of Confederation created a weak national government with most of the governmental powers retained by the states. The Articles provided no separation of branches. Congress, the legislature, was the only branch of government. When laws were presented, they required unanimous votes. Congress voted as states not as individuals.
The Articles of Confederation were written to govern the interaction of the thirteen original states after winning independence from Great Britain in 1776. They proved to be ineffective so in 1787 the US Constitution was adopted to replace the Articles of