¶ … Constitution of the United States was ratified after lengthy debate, mainly focused around issues related to the powers that would be bequeathed to the federal government. Although a gross oversimplification, the debate can be loosely qualified as being one between federalists on the one hand, and antifederalists on the other. Federalists, among them founding father luminaries from George Washington and Benjamin Franklin to James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay, believed that a strong central government was the key to forming a successful and resilient new nation in the immediate aftermath of the colonies' divorce from Great Britain. The federalist views permeated the discussions and debates at the Philadelphia Convention, at which the Constitution of the United States was hammered out, drafted, and eventually ratified into the law of the land. The Constitution of the United States replaced the Articles of Confederation, which called for a looser union of states than that which was proposed by the federalists. Antifederalists varied in their stances, but mainly believed that the United States should be bound by a loose confederation, and that state governments should supersede that of a centralized federal power in order to prevent tyranny and oligarchy. Samuel Adams and Patrick Henry were among the most vocal antifederalists, with some prominent framers like John Dickinson emerging as moderates determined to reach a compromise that would become the foundation stone of the Constitution. Although antifederalist sentiments did make their way into the Constitution of the United States after it was ratified, the document that became the cornerstone of American law bears far more federalist features. As Rose (1990) points out, antifederalism was all but silenced in the Constitution and represents the "road not taken" in American history (p. 74). Federalism has become central to the identity of the United States, to the point where the Civil War was later...
However, antifederalists did make their stamp on the Constitution and on American history.
Filburn harvested nearly 12 acres of wheat above his allotment. He claimed that he wanted the wheat for use on his farm, including feed for his poultry and livestock. Fiburn was penalized. He argued that the excess wheat was unrelated to commerce since he grew it for his own use. The question in the matter was: Is the amendment subjecting Filburn to acreage restrictions in violation of the Constitution
achievement of independence left the American statesmen in a serious institutional dilemma. The new state founded, what was to be its form of organization on the other hand, if decided on the federal organization, the statesmen obviously needed to decide both on the states' representation in the institutions, but also on what these institutions would be. James Madison's notes from May 30 are eloquent in describing the debates around
2nd Continental Congress attempted to bring us through the Revolutionary War, but the members soon realized that we needed a form of central government on a permanent basis. The arguements began between Alexander Hamilton, the Federalist, and Thomas Jefferson, the anti-Federalist, over how much power the central government should actually be given. This assignment will address these issues and has several parts. Make sure you answer all parts of
The truth is that the forefathers were actually quite surprised at the effect that the signing of the Constitution had created in America; at the democratic society and government that resulted after the ratification of the Constitution. The ratification in itself was a long one, and it involved in essence the perusal of the written Constitution by each state for ratification purposes, for which each state was required to create
The New Deal jolted the commerce clause into high gear, creating the regulatory agencies, commissions, and boards that continue to oversee the United States' commercial life." During that administration, Roosevelt attempted to assert a lot of federal power that had not been previously asserted by the federal government. However, a number of such laws pressed through Congress were found by the U.S. Supreme Court to lack constitutional authority. For many
Stress: Regulation of Wetlands in the United States Regulation of Wetlands in the United States Defining Wetlands and their Value A wetland refers to a place where water covers the soil. A wetland is a saturated land that comprises of swamps or marshes. Lewis defines a wetland as, "an ecosystem that depends on constant or recurrent, shallow inundation or saturation at or near the surface of the substrate" (p.3). He further ascertains that
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