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Summary Of Framing The Constitution By Charles Beard

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Summary Of Framing The Constitution By Charles Beard
Article Review: Framing the Constitution by Charles Beard

In the article, Framing the Constitution, Charles Beard had a very strong opinion on the Constitution and the motives of the framers. He believed that this document was written by the rich landowners, creditors, merchants, public bondholders, and lawyers, whose motives were to protect their wealth and property. Beard said that the reason the framers were against having majority rule was because they didn't want the majority to "overthrow" the rich framers of the time. This critical and different opinion of the Constitution and its framers is contrary to most modern belief. The framers had the "best minds" and mainly advocated the idea of "self-government". The idea of federalism in a republic was an innovative system. …show more content…
At the time the Constitution was written there were two different parties that wanted different things from the United States government. The Revolutionaries or “Radicals”, led by men such as Thomas Jefferson, Sam Adams and Patrick Henry, emphasized the strength and efficiency in government. These were the men who wanted Liberty and the Bill of Rights. The other famous group was the Federalists, which consisted of Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay. These leaders were more concerned with popular aspects of society such as power, control, and the protection of property rights. In order to keep maintain their wealth, they supported a strong central government, much like the current British system. Both parties contained some of the boldest and most radical thinkers of their time, helping make the Constitution last over 200
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