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Why was the Constitution Written if American Politicians Ignore it?

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Why was the Constitution written? Not many Americans know the answer to this question.

The Constitution is the main foundation of the American government and is the guiding force behind the structure of a federal democratic country.

Written in 1787, the Constitution is considered by many to be the absolute law of the United States and that no law can be passed that in any way contradicts Constitutional principles.

America is considered to be a republican country because it’s a union of 50 inseparable states.

America is also considered to be a democracy because we are governed by the people.

The Constitution clearly outlines the fundamental laws of the country and establishes the structure of one national government.

The Constitution outlines that the federal government has a very specific role:

“…establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our posterity.”

The answer to the question why was the Constitution written is both an easy one and one that is embedded deep within the history of this country.

The easy answer is that the American Constitution was written to create one strong government for all 50 states.

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Colonial Union Rejected

The question why was the Constitution written can’t be answered without a look back into the history of the United States.

After the American Revolution there were 13 original states, each governing under their own separate laws.

Every now and then there would be talk about creating one colonial union but most of the states were against the idea of having one national government because they were afraid it would end up with the same type of control that England had imposed on its colonies.

The 13 states came to a compromise and the Articles of Confederation were framed and sanctioned in 1781.

However, the Articles of Confederation had no provision for an efficient central government.

The central government was unable to settle differences or manage the regulation of commerce among the states. America was facing economic ruin and other serious problems.

From 1786 to 1787 Shays’ Rebellion in Massachusetts occurred, a revolt that the central government was unable to help with simply because they didn’t have a national army.

In 1787 a convention was called, soon to be known as the Constitutional Convention.

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The Constitutional Convention of 1787

The convention met in Philadelphia, with representatives from all states present with the exception of Rhode Island.

The intent of the convention was to revise the Articles of Confederation and to develop a government that was more centralized.

Representatives at the convention came up with two plans: the New Jersey Plan and the Virginia Plan.

The New Jersey Plan wanted to revise the Articles of Confederation so that Congress would be able to control taxes and trade within the country while at the same time allowing each of the states to maintain independence and control at the state level.

The Virginia Plan wanted a much more powerful central government that would be made up of three branches of government: executive, judicial, and legislative.

Many of the smaller states were worried that this type of government plan wouldn’t be in their best interests and wouldn’t be able to meet their needs.

Representatives came up with a compromise by taking both plans and combining them into one.

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Drafting of the Constitution

Once the decision was made to combine the New Jersey and Virginia Plans, a bicameral branch of government was created, known as the legislative branch, with the purpose of formulating laws.

Each of the 13 states would have equal representation within the Senate no matter how big they were, however membership in the House of Representatives would be based on the population of each state.

As well as the legislative branch judicial and executive branches were also formed.

No one of the three branches of government would have more power than the other.

This mediation of power would be accomplished through a system of checks and balances.

The combining of the New Jersey Plan and the Virginia Plan became known as the Great Compromise.

All of this hard planning led to the drafting of the Constitution, which on September 17, 1787, was given to the American public.

This answers why was the Constitution written. The Constitution has been the backbone of America since 1787.

Through the years the Constitution has not only been amended but in recent years there have been laws passed that are in direct violation of Constitutional principles.

Perhaps if Americans step back and take a close look at the purpose of the Constitution we can get this country back on track.

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