United States Constitution and New York
1) How does the U.S. Constitution reflect the political atmosphere of the United States in the late eighteenth century? What domestic and international concerns prompted the Constitutional Convention of 1787? Explain how these concerns were addressed by the debates of the framers, and what extent did the final document successfully meet the political challenges of the period?
Before the U.S. Constitution the political atmosphere during the late eighteenth century was very turbulent. The Constitution is a direct reflection of the political climate during the eighteenth century. The National government was dysfunctional under the Articles of
Confederation and held little authority over the states and taxes revenues whereas the states retained most of the authority. This imbalance of power led the national government to call for an overhaul of the Articles. In keeping with the individualistic culture, the famers wanted to ensure that the individual, states and national maintain their rights and sovereignty.
There were various domestic and international issues that led to the Constitutional Convention of 1787. The states were governed by the Articles of Confederation and not the Constitution. Under the Articles of Confederation the national government had very limited authority. As a result of the limited authority, the national government could not fix many domestic issues such as levying taxes. “The Articles prohibited Congress from levying taxes, so it had to ask the states for money,” (Patterson 2010). The lack of tax revenues from the states had put the national government is a desperate position. “By 1786, the national government was so desperate for funds that it sold the navy’s ships and reduced the army to fewer than a thousand soldiers-this at a time when British had an army in Canada and Spain had one in Florida,” (Patterson 2010). Another domestic issue occurred when New Hampshire established a Navy along its 18 mile of coastline. On
Before the U.S. Constitution the political atmosphere during the late eighteenth century was very turbulent. The Constitution is a direct reflection of the political climate during the eighteenth century. The National government was dysfunctional under the Articles of
Confederation and held little authority over the states and taxes revenues whereas the states retained most of the authority. This imbalance of power led the national government to call for an overhaul of the Articles. In keeping with the individualistic culture, the famers wanted to ensure that the individual, states and national maintain their rights and sovereignty.
There were various domestic and international issues that led to the Constitutional Convention of 1787. The states were governed by the Articles of Confederation and not the Constitution. Under the Articles of Confederation the national government had very limited authority. As a result of the limited authority, the national government could not fix many domestic issues such as levying taxes. “The Articles prohibited Congress from levying taxes, so it had to ask the states for money,” (Patterson 2010). The lack of tax revenues from the states had put the national government is a desperate position. “By 1786, the national government was so desperate for funds that it sold the navy’s ships and reduced the army to fewer than a thousand soldiers-this at a time when British had an army in Canada and Spain had one in Florida,” (Patterson 2010). Another domestic issue occurred when New Hampshire established a Navy along its 18 mile of coastline. On