The Constitution: A Frontier

A detailed Summary of The Constitution: A Frontier

The Constitution: Frontier to a new Nation

The constitution of the United States is a great frontier in history because it outlines social, political and economic standards that help develop a better country. It defines principles of government, and establishes controlling power over a governing body. Revolutionists fought to protect the newly found American principles such as liberty and the pursuit of happiness. They would not be able to keep the rights that they wanted for the country and people unless there was a formal document dictating one's rights. There was a need for a Constitution.

Let us look back before the Constitution. In 1781, during the American Revolution, the Articles of Confederation were developed in order to protect the personal liberties of the people. Although the Articles of Confederation were designed to hold colonies together, they did not fulfill their purpose as intended. They lacked the power to tax, regulate trade, and had an ineffectual proportional representation. There was an insufficiency of power over the states as well. As an new nation, there were many challenges facing the people ahead. The articles were limited in providing solutions to many and most of these challenges be

Although the Constitution is not perfect and may not satisfy everyone, it is nonetheless a frontier to a new and better nation. The delegates knew that making a perfect political system was impossible, they made up the Constitution in which they could reach social, political and economic compromises on many levels. Providing future generations with flexibility and a constantly evolving government is quite a big frontier.

On the issue of commerce, Congress now gained the authority to tax and regulate all trade except exports. "No state shall, without the consent of the Congress, lay any imposts or duties on imports or exports, except what may be absolutely necessary for executing..."

The Constitution resolved many conflicts in the shape of a "checks and balances" system with three branches (judicial, legislative, executive) and a bi-cameral legislative branch. The most difficult aspect of the old system that had to be dealt with was equal representation. Since the number of representatives was proportional to the states population, then the big states like Virginia would have the upper hand. The smaller states did not like this, and it was resolved that the lower house (House of Representatives) would be proportional to the states population and the upper house (the Senate) would be composed of 2 senators from every state. "The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each state." This was a huge improvement as now small and large states would be happy.

The Bill of Rights was a stepping stone for anti-federalists, one which turned many of the negative attitudes into a more positive toleration. Americans demanded a government for the people, apart from British rule, and that's exactly what they received. The last Bill of Rights stated, "those powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." This helped to ensure states rights, and further calmed the fears of anti-federalists. More and more Jeffersonians began to accept this newly designed constitution.

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Approximate Word count = 1429
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History