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Excellent question. My compliments to your teacher! The Framers sought to do just that - create a central government that would be strong enough to be effective, but limited in scope, and limited in its ability to trample on the rights of the people. As James Madison, the "Father of the Constitution," wrote: "In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself." For more on Madison, see: www.montpelier.org/pages/history/constitution.htm. James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and John Jay wrote the Federalist Papers (85 of them), which explained to the public how the proposed Constitution would work. Federalist #51 (written by Madison) is one of the most famous, and it discusses how a system of checks and balances, and reserving most powers to the states, will limit the federal government. It's a little hard to read, but it would help answer your question. You can find it at: www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/federal/fed51.htm. I'm sure if you quote a few lines from it in your paper, your teacher will be impressed! A few more thoughts... If you have time, you might also read Federalist #45. This was also written by Madison, and it talks about the relationship between the federal government and the states under the proposed Constitution. The Framers were very concerned in creating the federal government that it would not become overly powerful. After all, they had just fought an 8 1/2 year war (the American Revolution) to get rid of a central government with too much power (England). Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution lists the powers of the federal government. Anything not on the list belongs to states. Madison points to this as a protection against the tyranny of too much centralized power. To quote him in Federalist #45, "The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite." You can find Federalist #45 at www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/federal/fed45.htm. You can find the Constitution at www.constitutioncenter.org. Your teacher asks, "Did they achieve their goal?" For that, check out the interpretation of the "commerce clause," which is in Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution. Since the 1930's, the Supreme Court has redifined the meaning of the word "commerce," expanding it dramatically, thus allowing the federal government virtually unlimited scope. More on this can be found on the www.constitutioncenter.org web site. Good luck with your paper.
What else can I help you with?
What was the impact of the great awakening toward colonial attitudes toward authority?
They studied the bible at home instead of church.
How did the enlightenment affect peoples attitudes toward political authority?
It caused euopeans to question the divine right of kings to rule their subjects
How did the enlightenment affect people attitudes toward political authority?
It caused Europeans to question the divine right of kings to rule their subjects.
How did the American revolution change peoples attitudes toward their rulers?
It convinced them to declare their independence from the king and set up new republics in all the states.
What difference do you see between the Johnny Tremain's and Rab's attitudes toward the British?
I honestly have no clue I need the answer to the exact same question for my stupid reading homework :/
Which decade saw a marked decline in American attitudes toward government?
1970
Russians attitudes toward democracy?
What is russian attitudes toward democracy?
What are some attitudes of workers toward themselves in office work?
some attitudes of workers toward themselves that they have less motivation .
What attitudes do most people have toward the importance of geographic study?
they have positive attitudes
How did Japanese attitudes toward foreigner change in the 1600s and why?
Cause they want to change there attitudes
What has the author A B Malone written?
A. B. Malone has written: 'Community attitudes toward the mentally ill and attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help'
What are Australia's attitudes toward elderly?
Basicaly Poor
What were the attitudes toward women in the past?
be more specific
What has the author Paul Lockey written?
Paul Lockey has written: 'Conflicting Attitudes Toward the Jews c.1' 'Conflicting Attitudes toward the Jews c.2'
What best summarizes the attitudes of most delegates at the US Constitutional Convention in 1787 toward the development of political parties?
to revise the Articles of Confederation with a better system of government
What are the differences between Greek and Roman attitudes toward sport?
An important difference between greek and Romans attitudes was that
How do you use insular in a sentence?
She has insular attitudes toward foreigners.
