New Constitution was a Triumph for Democracy
New Constitution was a Triumph for Democracy
In 1776, the colonies were called upon by the Continental Congress to draft new constitutions. In all reality, the Continental Congress was actually asking the colonies to summon themselves into being states. According to the theory of republicanism, the sovereignty of these new states would rest on the authority of the people. In 1789, the United States of America adopted a new constitution. Prior to then, fifty-five delegates from every state except Rhode Island, met in Philadelphia for the Constitutional Convention. Although, Patrick Henry, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson were absent, many well-educated, politically experienced delegates such as George Washington, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and Ben Franklin were present. The reason to meet was to revise the Articles. Of the lessons from the articles, the delegates knew that they needed a strong central government, along with an executive and judicial branch as part of the government. They also learned that they needed a government that can levy a tax and can work directly with the people.
When the Constitution of the United States was finally adopted in 1789,it showed many positive reasons that helped make it seem like a success. First, the effective organization of the three branches helped set up our country’s government as a democracy. With the legislative power vested in a two-house Congress, the larger states were conceded representation by population in the House of Representatives and the smaller states were appeased by equal representation in the Senate. Therefore, in the House number of Representatives, the higher the state population, then the more representatives for that state. In the Senate, each state is rewarded two Senators to represent the each state. In the Constitution, it says that the House of Representatives is composed of members who serve a term of two years. Some of the qualifications of a Representative are that they must be at least twenty-five years old, a U.S. citizen for at least seven years, and must reside in the state that they wish to represent. While as a member of the Senate, the term lasts for six years and the qualifications include that they must be at least thirty years old, a U.S. citizen for at least nine years, and must reside in the state that they wish to represent.
Of the powers that the...