Constitutional Studies

Click on the Image above

Click on the imahe above

History of the Constitution

The men who met in Philadelphia to amend the Articles of Confederation had two things in common. They were very intelligent and well educated. However there was a faction who were motivated to create a new government that would benefit all of the people equally and others faction who wanted to create a government that would guarantee to themselves and their posterity permanent positions of wealth, power and prestige.

The honorable founding fathers believed in the principles espoused in the Declaration of Independence, while the others wanted to pursue an entirely different agenda.

The men of motivated to create a government that would benefit themselves became known as the Federalists, while those who truly believed in the principles of liberty became known as the Anti Federalists.

The men who were identified as Federalists wanted to create a society where the rich and well born would enjoy privileges and immunities while the Anti Federalists wanted the rights of all people to be secure.

The Anti Federalists that men were endowed by their Creator with a set of inalienable rights and that all men were created equal in the sight of God. The Federalists believed that instead of having rights, the people should have privileges granted to them by rich and well born,

The Federalists, who owned slaves insisted on preserving the institution of slavery and tn order to guarantee the ratification of the Constitution the Anti Federalist reluctantly agreed to abandon the principle of the equality of all men.

In the Declaration of Independence the term "Man" should have been interpreted to mean both men and women.

Men like Alexander Hamilton that supported the creation of a British style oligarchy in the United States believed that the Constitution could be used to achieve that objective if the people failed to hold the government officials accountable. Hamilton understood that due to their human nature it was unlikely that the people would take the responsibility to secure the blessings of liberty.

As stated in the Declaration of Independence all governmental power is derived consent of the governed and the framers of the Constitution knew that in order for the Constitution to be lawfully ratified the people would need to give their consent. Unfortunately, only the consent of the rich, white men was required.

0 members like this