Essays on Constitutional Convention

Charles Beard’s article, Framing the Constitution, alleges the members of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia were “disinterested” in providing basic rights for citizens. He stated that the framers of the Constitution of the United States were only concerned in improving their own economic well–being and personal agendas. Therefore, providing information of the events that led up to the Philadelphia Convention and an overview of the Constitution will dismiss his statements, and state his article was a self-serving, conspiracy theory. The…...

In 1787 fifty-five delegates held a constitutional convention to discuss the rights of the states.  During this convention the Three-Fifths compromise was reached; which was a compromise of the New Jersey and Virginia plans.  This compromise attempted to resolve the differences between the Northern and Southern states concerning their government. In this essay I will discuss the significance of the Three-fifths Compromise, economic reasons why the framers of the constitution avoided the question of slavery and didn’t attempt to end…...

The White House was given its official name by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1901, it was previously known as the 'President's Palace, ' the 'President's House,' and the 'Executive Mansion' (Whitehouse.gov, n.d)'. The main function of the White house was to be the official home of the President of the United Stated. The use of the White House as the president's home is the main purpose, but it also serves as a museum and is a national monument, it also…...

On September 17, 1787, thirty-nine of the delegates to the Constitutional Convention, held in the summer heat of Philadelphia for four long months, signed the document for which they had labored so hard to produce. During both the drafting of the Constitution and the ensuing debates over its ratification, the struggle to procure the new system of government was not an easy one. But in the end, America came down in support of what has endured as the oldest working…...

The agenda of this convention started out with a draft that was presented by James Madison and his colleagues. This draft became known as the “Virginia Plan”. In this plan it was proposed that they scrape the articles of confederation in favor of a central government. Within this plan the power of each state would be reduced and the federal government would increase its power and control. Along with this draft another provision was introduced that caused quite a stir…...

Texas, like many other states, has worked under a series of Constitutions, each of which has added to the state's constitutional legacy. Each is appropriately understood from the perspective of the duration in which it was adopted. The existing Constitution was written in 1876 after the termination of Restoration policies. Because reconstruction policies were oppressive, the Constitution was created to put strong restraints on federal government to protect versus future abuses of power. Today, the file is so limiting that…...

On May 25, 1787, fifty-five delegates from twelve states met in Philadelphia to revise the Articles of Confederation. Instead, they decided to totally scrap the Articles and create a new Constitution, known as "a bundle of compromises." Whatever these leaders' personal desires, they had to compromise and adopt what was acceptable to the entirety of America, and what presumably would be suitable to the nation as a whole. There were many compromises made at the Constitutional Convention, such as representation,…...

The Articles of Confederation and United States Constitution are two documents that shaped the U.S. government into what it is today. The Articles of Confederation (AOC) was the first Constitution of the United States. Americans soon realized that this document had to be substantially modified because the U.S. needed a stronger government. The AOC was thought of as an ineffective national government document, although there were some strong points. The AOC was ratified in 1781, and replaced by an improved…...

The Articles of Confederation and the Constitution each had their own impacts on the United States economy. It can be shown that the drafting of the Constitution reversed the control of economic authority between the national government and the states, specifically regarding the laying and levying of taxes. The stipulations of taxation are clarified in the Articles and the Constitution through Article VIII and Article I, Section 8, respectively. Both statements provide for an easy analysis of taxation considering the…...