Structure of the U.S. Constitution
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One of the strengths of the U.S. Constitution and the system of government it created and supports is flexibility, and both the document and the governmental structure it supports have evolved since the time of its ratification. This evolution has been positive in nature, and the American system has tended toward increased equality, increased fairness, and increased opportunity for all. In a way, the American system of government has become more like the ideal behind in that the Constitution, while the Constitution itself did not provide for full equality for all people then living in what would become the United States or for full participation by all citizens. The Constitution as ratified in 1787 benefited some groups in society more than others, and certain groups were excluded from full participation. Many provisions did not apply to women, for instance, and slaves were counted as three-fifths of a person for the purposes of representation while not really being citizens with any rights of their own. Property owners were given greater power and more rights than those who did not own property. At the same time, the Constitution included a sense of the need for balance that made it more equitable than the governments of Europe at the time. While male landowners may have had more power and a stronger assertion of their rights, groups without such advantages were protected from any potential "tyranny of the majority" by the checks and balances placed in the structure
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d (McKenna 33-40).
The ratification of the Constitution was complicated by the differences between the Federalists and their opponents. There was an attempt to accommodate both sides with the creation of a republican form of government. A republic in strictest terms is a form of government in which the people exercise their power through elected representatives. The issue was the form of republic and the degree of centralization it would embody. The Federalist Papers were written by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay. They answered their critics and wrote about the different aspects of the government they envisioned, and they specifically answered those who said that the balance of power could not be maintained. The Federalists wrote about their concern over the way factions would develop that might divide the country and bring about an imbalance. Yet, they ended by noting that faction was unavoidable, and they proposed the system of checks and balances to reduce the power of faction. The concern over factions was related to a belief in the dark side of human nature. What the Federalists believed was that it was impossible to eliminate the cause of factions without also eliminating liberty, but it would be
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 2146
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page)
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