Drafting the Constitution Essay - 2558 Words

By the late eighteenth century, America found itself independent from England; which was a welcomed change, but also brought with it, its own set of challenges. The newly formed National Government was acting under the Articles of Confederation, which established a â€Å"firm league of friendship† between the states, but did not give adequate power to run the country. To ensure the young nation could continue independently, Congress called for a Federal Convention to convene in Philadelphia to address the deficiencies in the Articles of Confederation. While the Congress only authorized the convention to revise and amend the Articles the delegates quickly set out to develop a whole new Constitution for the country. Unlike the Articles of†¦show more content†¦One of the first debates over the institution of the National Executive was whether the Executive should â€Å"consist of a single person† as motioned by James Wilson, of Pennsylvania, and seconded by Charles Pinckney, of South Carolina. The idea of a single Executive met with strong opposition due to conjuring images of their former oppression under British rule. Due to the fact that all delegates were old enough to remember, many of them to have fought against, the rule by Britain, it was easy for them to compare what they were trying to create to what they already knew and in some cases detested. To defend against the Executive morphing into a monarchy there was a suggestion of a three person Executive branch that was put forward by Randolph who felt the people would not properly support a signal Executive. The idea of a three person branch would give a representative from the Northern, Middle, and Southern States. Pierce Butler of South Carolina, having seen firsthand in Holland the issues caused by â€Å"plurality,† strongly objected. As happened many times during the convention the motion was postponed. James Madison made the suggestion that the powers of the president devised before there be a decision of single or plural Executive stating, â€Å"definition of their extent would assist the judgment in determining how far they might safely entrusted to a single officer.† With theShow MoreRelatedThe Constitution as a Controversial Document Essay701 Words   |  3 Pagesï » ¿ Why Was The Constitution A Controversial Document Even As It Was Being Written? Name: Institution: Date of submission: Why Was The Constitution A Controversial Document Even As It Was Being Written? Introduction The United States Constitution was written more than 200 years ago and it has been used as the foundation for the government. The constitution has been and still remains the most durable political agreement in the history of the world. Even though an inspiringRead MoreThe And The Egyptian Constitution1028 Words   |  5 Pagesfoundation of the citizens in the constitution. Tarek Masiud in â€Å"Liberty, Democracy, and Discord in Egypt†, Tahany El Gebaly in â€Å"Constitutional Principles,† and John Chalcraft in â€Å"Horizontalism in the Egyptian Revolutionary Press† all stress the significance of identity in their respective papers. 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