Preview

Essay On Ratification Of Government

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
455 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Essay On Ratification Of Government
The British government had a plethora of problems that most people complained about. When the Americans saw these problems they decided to go off and start their own government. This government came along with a Constitution, a Bill of Rights, and Declaration of Independence. These three things helped the people have, basically a mind of their own, the government was not controlling them.
In 1765 Parliament passed the Quartering Act that said the colonists needed to find or pay for lodging for British soldiers stationed in America. The King and Parliament believed they had the right to tax the colonies. They decided to require several kinds of taxes from the colonists to help pay for the French and Indian War. These taxes included the Stamp
…show more content…
To the Federalists, those who favored the Constitution, a bill of rights was unnecessary because the Federal Government was limited in its powers and could not interfere with the rights of the people or the states; also, most states had bills of rights. To the Anti-Federalists, those who opposed the Constitution, the prospect of establishing a strong central government without an explicit list of rights guaranteed to the people was unthinkable. Throughout the ratification process, individuals and state ratification conventions called for the adoption of a bill of rights.

When James Madison put in the Bill of Rights he had explained that it was suppose to limit the power of government. It would provide a second limitation on the power of government. The Bill of Rights is more than just a way to generally limit the power of the federal government; the rights protected by the Bill of Rights were those that were most effective in empowering people to control and limit their government. Not only did the Bill of Rights create limitations on government, but it specifically identified areas of freedom which, when exercised, could further help to limit

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Federalists argued that the Constitution did not need a bill of rights, because the people and the states kept any powers not given to the federal government. Anti-Federalists held that a bill of rights was necessary to safeguard individual liberty. For the Federalists, Both Hamilton and Madison argued that the Constitution didn't need a Bill of Rights, that it would create a "parchment barrier" that limited the rights of the people, as opposed to protecting them. In the ratification debate, the Anti Federalists opposed to the Constitution. They complained that the new system threatened liberties, and failed to protect individual rights. The Anti-Federalists weren't exactly a united group, but instead involved many elements. One faction opposed the Constitution because they thought stronger government threatened the sovereignty of the states. Others argued that a new centralized government would have all the characteristics of the despotism of Great Britain they had fought so hard to remove themselves from. And still others feared that the new government threatened their personal…

    • 794 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Essay On Federalism

    • 542 Words
    • 3 Pages

    There was a desire to form a democratic government due to the Enlightenment which affected political ideals and social customs as the thirteen colonies evolved into the United States. The American Enlightenment was a period of intellectual incitement which lasted from 1714 to 1818. There was a mass production of books and other pieces of literature with 17th century Englishman John Locke being the Enlightenment's most influential author. For instance in the Two Treatises of Government, Locke states that, “It is evident, that absolute Monarchy, which by some Men is counted the only Government in the World, is indeed inconsistent with the civil Society, and so can be no form of Civil-Government at all.” Locke’s fundamental argument is that human nature is invested with natural rights, so people can law against someone who infringes on their rights. People have the right to dissolve of their government if it does not benefit their interests; the government must serve the people because it has no sovereignty of its own. His ideals then influenced Thomas Jefferson to draft the Declaration of Independence in which it states “We hold these truths to be self evident; that all men are created equal; that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain undeniable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of…

    • 542 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Bill of Rights has a long history entangled with that of the American Constitution. The first Congress has achieved more than any other congress in American history, they not only have the credits of a successful organization of the government, of law, administration, and defense but the enactment of the American Bill of Rights. The original Constitution of 1787 contained several provisions of major significance for civil liberties, however did not contain a specific bill of rights. This failure to incorporate a bill of rights by the framers of the constitution was not a sign of resentment or lack of concern to the rights of man, but rather their certainty that particular guarantees of rights was unnecessary. However this did not satisfy some states, who deeply demanded for solemn assurances that the new government would not consent to exercise tyranny, therefore a debate between the Federalist and Anti-Federalist began.…

    • 3046 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Constitution that was created had a strong central government and weak state governments. The anti-federalists believed in weak central and strong state governments, as the way it was in The Articles of Confederation. They thought that if the Government got all of the power, they would lose their rights and freedoms. This makes sense, because if the people making the rules live relatively close to you, they will be able to judge better than a house of representatives or a president who is 1000 miles away. They also remembered that from their experiences as British colonists, a federal government can tax, and can tax the people highly. One more reason that they didn't like it is because it didn't contain a Bill of Rights, so it is hard to judge what rights this government is going to give…

    • 397 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    1st and 2nd Amendment

    • 1723 Words
    • 7 Pages

    On September 25, 1789, The Bill Of Rights was submitted to the states for approval, based on the previous Constitution's insufficient assurances for civil freedom, liberties and justice. Concerned that the Constitution neglected to clearly state the basic civil rights of the citizens of the United States, Anti- Federalists opposed the Articles of Confederations, which gave state governments more authority (“Bill of Rights, n.d.). As a result the first tem amendments commonly known as The Bill of Rights was approved by congress in 1791, undeniably guaranteeing citizens of The United States essential and important rights. The 1st and 2nd amendments are perhaps the most predominant, dominant sections of the Bill of Rights. The following essay will explain the contents of the 1st and 2nd amendments; it will also examine and analyze current controversies relating to the two amendments.…

    • 1723 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Stamp Act of 1765 was established after the French and Indian War to help the British pay for war damages and debts acquired during the war. The Stamp Act placed a tax on all printed material in the colonies. This act aroused a large amount of protest from the colonist who felt it was unfair for Britain to issue taxes upon the colonists especially since the colonist had no representation in Parliament. A country should not be allowed to levy taxes upon its colonies, especially when the colonies are a great distance from the mother country. Great Britain lack of interest in the colonies in the beginning of American colonization is the reason for the colonist adapting a new sense of independency. For the British to pay attention to the colonist only when they are in need of money is…

    • 862 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    During the Constitutional Period, there were two groups of people; one group called the Federalists, wanted a stronger national government and one group called the Anti-Federalists, opposed the development of a national government. The Federalists ratified the Constitution to help properly manage the debt and tensions following the American Revolution. The Anti-Federalists opposed the development of a strong federal government and the ratification of the Constitution, preferring instead for power to remain in the hands of state and local governments. Although the Anti-Federalists were unsuccessful in the prevention of the adoption of the Constitution, their efforts were responsible for the creation and implementation of the Bill of Rights.…

    • 617 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    debates. People that supported the Constitution argued that many state constitutions already did the job of protecting citizens’ rights. Supporters of the Constitution believed that these rights already existed as natural rights, even though they were not listed. The anti-federalists disagreed and believed there should be a list of rights. They feared that the stronger national government would abuse individual rights. The anti-federalists basically wanted a list of individual…

    • 206 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    When the Constitution of the United States was originally created, it did not contain a Bill of Rights. In the Constitutional Convention, the Federalists argued that the Bill of Rights was not necessary. Opposingly, the Anti-Federalists argued that the central government had too much power and that our Constitution needed a Bill of Rights that would explicitly state the rights of the citizens. In order to settle disputes between the Federalists and Anti-Federalists that claimed the government had an imbalance of power, the Bill of Rights was created. Containing the first ten Amendments, the Bill of Rights ultimately split up the powers and gave specific duties to the separate branches to create balance in power between the state and central…

    • 378 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In conclusion, the Anti-federalist wanted government divided into branches, but they did not want any branch to have more power than any other. Having the power over the government allowed citizens to become more open and voice their own opinions. However they could not just make any law up, the laws had to be in the best interest of the country. The Bill of Rights made sure that the peoples best interest was displayed at the national level. The Bill of Rights was to show the people what their rights are and have the enumerated rights written…

    • 332 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    As ironic as it is that most of the founders did not like the idea of a Bill of Rights because it would give the government too much control, later Madison believed that it was the states that were more of a danger than the federal government. Of his twelve amendments ten were ratified. In times of despair, they came to notice that the Bill of Rights was not everything they had hoped for. Today when people debate on issues they think back and claim that our founders saw the Bill of Rights as an important part to American liberty, but in reality they believed in a balanced system and left the paranoia to…

    • 335 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    The original U.S. Constitution did not contain a Bill of Rights. This was added at a later date at which time Amendments were also added. Since the creation of this original document there have been several alterations and additions to the Constitution. How these amendments are included and why they were, is vital to understanding the document as a whole. However, the problems of the original document prompted the inclusion of a Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights has also affected the Constitution in multiple ways. The original document presented problems with changing society that led to later amendments of which the Thirteenth through Fifteenth Amendments are an example and the effects of these Amendments are evidence of justification.…

    • 1399 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    British colonialism

    • 462 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Why were the American colonies unhappy with the British government? By the 1770’s, Great Britain had established a number of colonies in North America. The American colonists thought of themselves as citizens of Great Britain and subjects of King George III. They were tied to Britain through trade and by the way they were governed. Trade was restricted so the colonies had to rely on Britain for imported goods and supplies.…

    • 462 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Bill of Rights Paper - 1

    • 1771 Words
    • 5 Pages

    This type of debate leads to assuming a new national responsibility, which lead to the expansion of the existing Bill of Rights. There was provision that were effective against violations by states including the national government. Thomas Jefferson was concerned of these strong government powers by the United State Constitution. He believes they could be used in an act of destroying inherent civil rights and liberties of the people. This thus led to limiting the government powers through separation of powers among three important government branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. This would in turn prevent any individual or group for tyrannically exercising power. Her further explained the importance of demanding a Bill of Rights for protecting certain liberties of individuals rights and freedom. Following is a brief interpretation of the bill of rights.…

    • 1771 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    When the U.S Constitution was being drafted people were against including the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights consists of 10 Amendments. At first the Bill of Rights was said to be applicable to the federal and not to state government. Even years later after many amendments we still see the Supreme Court in the United States v. Cruikshank case still held that the Bill of Rights did not apply to state governments. This however was rectified in the 1920s where courts interpreted the Bill of Rights to be enforceable even against state government.…

    • 2411 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays