Ratifying Our Constitution

 

After the failure of the Articles of Confederation, America was in need of a serious change. The wealthy and educated politicians of each state all agreed that a new constitution was in order, however, the federalists of the north, and the anti-federalists of the south, had their differences.

 

The federalists believed in a strong, centralized government. Not too strong, of course, but stronger than the articles of confederation were. Anti-federalists did not like how this was going. They saw too much power in the government which would take away the rights of the American people. Also, the American people felt as if they weren’t represented enough in the decision making of ratifying the new constitution. Only the rich and educated made these decisions and the poor and uneducated were not represents well.

 

In the end, the constitution was finally ratified, and it has been the major document keeping our country together for centuries. It is not perfect, but it was better than the Articles of Confederation by a long shot.

Firm League of Friendship?

 

That’s exactly what the Articles of Confederation were. It was a connection between all of the 13 states that fought against the British in the American Revolution. This was America’s first attempt at establishing a central government for the new land that they could call their own.

 

Scripted in 1781, this document was quickly replaced eight years later due to the large amount of weaknesses and flaws that eventually led to Daniel Shay’s rebellion, which could have ended disastrously.

 

The government was totally unstable. States were printing their own currency, states had their own militaries, there was no executive branch to pass any acts by congress, and to get a passed act, there had to be a 9/13 vote which is unfair. States were all represented unfairly. Each state was basically just its own country that was friendly with the rest of the states. It was a broken government that needed some serious adjustments.

 

Finally, after eight long years of frustration, the united state came to the conclusion to abolish that document and start fresh, thus The Constitution was born.

What exactly is a government? What do they really do for our country? These are commonly asked questions, which I plan on answering throughout the year in this blog. By the end of May, anyone who follows my blog will know exactly how America’s government works and how we, as Americans, are thoroughly involved everyday with politics.

A government is the political direction and control exercised over the actions of the members, citizens, or inhabitants of communities, societies, and states. The government basically controls everything in our country. From the laws that keep the country in control, to the education of our youth, to the water that is filtered into our households and local supermarkets. These are just a few examples of how our government affects our everyday lives.

Think about a country with no laws, or local police officers that enforce them. America would be in total chaos and disarray. There would be no age limit to alcohol, speed limits on streets and highways wouldn’t exist, and thievery and murder would run rampant in this country with a population of over 300 million people. America would be completely disorganized and unsafe. Having a government that controls these laws is at the highest importance and keeps our towns and cities safe and in order.

If the government does not provide us with schools, textbooks, and teachers to learn from, where would our youth go? They would not be able to read, write, or do simple math problems such as 2+2. Having an educated youth helps our country move forward in technology, research, and simply keeps us ahead of other less fortunate countries that do not have the luxury of being able to learn and educate them about the great world that we inhabit.

Sure, the United States government is not perfect, but what government is? Our country is powerful because we have an organized government which organizes our country. As humans, we are not the strongest or fastest creature on this planet. What we have that others don’t is a strong sense of intelligence and organization. This is why we are dominant on this planet and creating an organized government is simply human nature, just as a lionesses nature is too hunt and protect its young.