The U.S. Constitution: A Deeper Dive
Purpose of the Constitution
The U.S. Constitution was written in 1787 to give the states a common government for issues they could not handle individually, such as defense, trade, and diplomacy. At the same time, the framers made sure that both the states and the people kept most of their independence, and retained to themselves all powers not specifically granted to the national government.
Many Americans were wary of creating another powerful central government after fighting a war against Britain’s monarchy. For that reason, the Constitution restricted the federal government to only a few specific powers. Everything else remained in the hands of the states or the people themselves.
Key Ideas to Remember
- Federalism: Power is divided between the national government and the states.
- Limited Powers: The federal government could only do what the Constitution explicitly allowed (ex: declaring war, coining money, regulating interstate trade).
- State Autonomy: States kept authority over most areas of daily life (laws, education, property, local elections).
- The People’s Rights: The Constitution assumed that rights not mentioned were still retained by the people (later reinforced in the Bill of Rights, especially the 9th and 10th Amendments).
- Checks & Balances: Even the limited federal powers were split among three branches—legislative, executive, and judicial—to prevent abuse.
Founders’ Viewpoint
- James Madison (Federalist): Argued for a stronger central government, but still one of limited, enumerated powers.
- Patrick Henry (Anti-Federalist): Warned that too much power at the top could threaten liberty.
- Compromise: The Constitution balanced these fears by granting the federal government only a few powers, while leaving the rest to the states.
Quick Takeaway
👉 The Constitution was not designed to make Washington, D.C. the center of all decisions. It was a framework for cooperation, while protecting the independence of states and individuals.
Suggested Visuals
- Flowchart: Federal vs. State Powers (examples on each side).
- Quote Cards: Short statements from Madison, Hamilton, and Anti-Federalists on government limits.
- Graphic Timeline: From the Articles of Confederation → Constitutional Convention → Ratification → Bill of Rights.
*The ‘Three-Fifths’ Compromise
Some who don’t like the U.S. or its Constitution very much, try to point to the “three-fifths” issue. When writing the Constitution in 1787, one of the hardest debates was about representation in Congress. The number of seats in the House of Representatives depended on a state’s population.
- The Democratic Party in the Southern states wanted enslaved people counted fully, because that would give them more seats in Congress, which would help them retain the practice of slavery. [Early Democratic Party]
- The Northern states argued that since enslaved people had no rights or political power in the Southern States, they should not be counted for representation.
The compromise:
- Each enslaved person would be counted as three-fifths of a person for purposes of representation and taxation.
- Unfortunately, this increased the political power of the slaveholding states without granting rights to enslaved people. This was the situation until the Republican Party was born, nominating Abraham Lincoln as its anti-slavery candidate.
Why it matters:
It also highlights the tension between the ideals of liberty and the reality of European slavery induced before America’s founding.
The Three-Fifths Compromise shows how deeply slavery was woven into the early U.S. political system.
It gave the South more influence in national politics, helping to protect slavery until the Civil War.
