As depression struck the new nation in the mid-1780s, new questions arose about the nature of American democracy. Many conservatives believed that the answer lay in a stronger national government. Most radicals believed it was up to the states to relieve the financial burden of the people. These sentiments fostered a movement for a new constitution. Political differences soon stimulated the creation of political parties.
Compare and contrast the Articles of Confederation with the new Constitution of 1787. What were the strengths and weaknesses of the Articles vis-à-vis the Constitution? Give specific instances that demonstrate the weakness of the Articles (such as the Western problem).
Then analyze the drafting of the Constitution, using specific details to show how the various states (slave vs. free, east vs. west) compromised in order to effectively draft a constitution. Pay particular attention to Roger Sherman’s plan, the Great Compromise, which broke a stalemate that could have been fatal to the development of the new Constitution.
Finally, compare and contrast the debate over ratification between the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists. Make sure you cite specific examples from the Federalist Papers to support the Federalist position and contrast it with leading proponents of the opposition (such as John Hancock). Analyze how the debate over a bill of rights illustrates the differences between the two parties. Evaluate the relative success of the Bill of Rights in achieving an effective balance between national and states’ interests.
This paper must be four to five double-spaced pages in length (not including the References page) and utilize no less than four academic quality sources. Margins should be no more than one inch (right and left) and the essay should be composed in an appropriate font and size. Sources must be documented and cited using APA format.
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As depression struck the new nation in the mid-1780s, new question.docx
1. As depression struck the new nation in the mid-1780s, new
questions arose about the nature of American democracy. Many
conservatives believed that the answer lay in a stronger national
government. Most radicals believed it was up to the states to
relieve the financial burden of the people. These sentiments
fostered a movement for a new constitution. Political
differences soon stimulated the creation of political parties.
Compare and contrast the Articles of Confederation with the
new Constitution of 1787. What were the strengths and
weaknesses of the Articles vis-à-vis the Constitution? Give
specific instances that demonstrate the weakness of the Articles
(such as the Western problem).
Then analyze the drafting of the Constitution, using specific
details to show how the various states (slave vs. free, east vs.
west) compromised in order to effectively draft a
constitution. Pay particular attention to Roger Sherman’s
plan, the Great Compromise, which broke a stalemate that could
have been fatal to the development of the new Constitution.
Finally, compare and contrast the debate over ratification
between the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists. Make sure you
cite specific examples from the Federalist Papers to support the
Federalist position and contrast it with leading proponents of
the opposition (such as John Hancock). Analyze how the debate
over a bill of rights illustrates the differences between the two
parties. Evaluate the relative success of the Bill of Rights in
achieving an effective balance between national and states’
interests.
This paper must be four to five double-spaced pages in length
(not including the References page) and utilize no less than four
academic quality sources. Margins should be no more than one
inch (right and left) and the essay should be composed in an
appropriate font and size. Sources must be documented and
cited using APA format.
