Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Federalist Papers

In the beginning of the formation of the United States there was a need to keep order by implementing a governing power yet keep government small and fair. In order to do so we Declared our independence from England and created our own Constitution. I'm quite fond of the beginning of the Declaration of Independence. It's pretty much the basis of anyone in a relationship looking to break up. It's basically stating people have a tendency to breakup and we should just breakup amicably.

"When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation."

Once the United States gained freedom the Continental Congress functioned as a provisional government for the United States. The first constitution was the Articles of Confederation. The problem with the Articles was there was no unity or more importantly as George Washington put it "no money"(1). There were no ways for the United States to pay their debts nor fund and army. On February 21, 1787, the Confederation Congress called a convention of state delegates at Philadelphia to propose a plan of government. This lead to the drafting of The Constitution which we hold now as the supreme law in America.

Following the Constitutional Convention, there ensued an intense battle over the Constitution's ratification. Each state was requested to hold a special convention to deliberate and determine whether or not to ratify the Constitution. Madison was a leader in the ratification effort. James Madison with help from others wrote the "Federalist Papers". Two of Madison's works were Federalist No. 10 and Federalist No. 51. Federalist No. 10, Madison discusses the means of preventing rule by majority faction and advocates a large, commercial republic. In Federalist No 51, Madison argues for checks and balances in government.



1.)Maier, Pauline (2010). Ratification: The People Debate the Constitution, 1787–1788. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-0-684-86854-7.