Impact of the Constitution
Mary Hunsucker
October 1, 2008
APUSH—3A
Take Home Essay Test
Impact of the Constitution
The Articles of Confederation were approved by all the early American states in 1781, but by 1787, it was apparent that the Articles were insufficient for the young nation to operate on. A convention was formed with the priority job being to revise the Articles of Confederation; however, they only concluded that an entire new structure was needed to fulfill the demands of the growing country. The Constitution was then born. The Constitution provided the structure of government and power that was needed to achieve a strong union. This structure “saved” the American republic from collapse while under the Articles of Confederation. George Washington himself called the end of the Articles a “happy termination” (Document A). He commended Henry Knox and hoped that good would come from the Constitution that was now put in place. Good has most definitely come from the Constitution. Would America be the great nation it is today without the formation of the Constitution? Many historians would agree that America would not be the same country in any shape, form, or fashion without the development of the Constitution. While in deliberation over the revision of the Articles of Confederation and a new government, the so-called Framers had four main points in mind. The government must be able to prevent a tyranny of the majority, prevent a tyranny of the minority, have sufficient powers to create conditions for both short- and long-term economic development, and formulate and conduct a more effective foreign policy. It was not long, however, before core conflicts emerged between different interest groups. Bankers and debtors disagreed; there was economic competition between states, along with conflicts over western land ownership. Despite the enormous gap between advocates of the differing approaches, a number of important compromises were worked out.
October 1, 2008
APUSH—3A
Take Home Essay Test
Impact of the Constitution
The Articles of Confederation were approved by all the early American states in 1781, but by 1787, it was apparent that the Articles were insufficient for the young nation to operate on. A convention was formed with the priority job being to revise the Articles of Confederation; however, they only concluded that an entire new structure was needed to fulfill the demands of the growing country. The Constitution was then born. The Constitution provided the structure of government and power that was needed to achieve a strong union. This structure “saved” the American republic from collapse while under the Articles of Confederation. George Washington himself called the end of the Articles a “happy termination” (Document A). He commended Henry Knox and hoped that good would come from the Constitution that was now put in place. Good has most definitely come from the Constitution. Would America be the great nation it is today without the formation of the Constitution? Many historians would agree that America would not be the same country in any shape, form, or fashion without the development of the Constitution. While in deliberation over the revision of the Articles of Confederation and a new government, the so-called Framers had four main points in mind. The government must be able to prevent a tyranny of the majority, prevent a tyranny of the minority, have sufficient powers to create conditions for both short- and long-term economic development, and formulate and conduct a more effective foreign policy. It was not long, however, before core conflicts emerged between different interest groups. Bankers and debtors disagreed; there was economic competition between states, along with conflicts over western land ownership. Despite the enormous gap between advocates of the differing approaches, a number of important compromises were worked out.