Beliefs at the Convention.

Though the men who met at the Constitutional convention had different political ideas, they shared some basic beliefs.

• Delegates at the convention believed that people were basically good, but they were self-interested.

• James Madison claimed there were several sources of political conflict in a society. The most common source of conflict was property. Other sources of conflict included religion, attachment to leaders, and different views concerning how to govern people.

• Conflicts contributed to factions, people with different values attempting to influence government. Many delegates to the Convention disliked factions and attempted to avoid them.

• While the delegates discussed the role of government in promoting domestic tranquility and protecting the nation from foreign invasion, a common theme among the delegates was the role of government in the protection of property.

• Inspired by earlier writings by the Baron de Montesquieu, delegates wanted a government with separate branches. In order to limit the power of a national government, the branches would be given complimentary and contradictory powers.

• The separation of powers would use a system of checks and balances designed to prevent factions from taking control of the government.

Constitutional Principles.

The U.S. Constitution established a government with specific, written

beliefs.

• Limiting majority control- Originally, only members of the House of Representatives were directly elected by the people. Senators were elected by state legislatures, and the President was elected by the Electoral College. James Madison believed that government should be insulated from the majority of the population. The goal was to prevent a majority from seizing government power and abusing the minority.

• Separation of powers-Divided the national government into three branches. Each branch was given specific powers, resulting in sharing power within the national government. This prevents any one branch from gaining too much control over the government.

• Checks and balances- Require branches of the government to prevent any one branch from gaining too much power. Consequently, rules governing the conduct of each branch are intended to make the branches check the conduct of the other branches.

• By preventing any one branch from gaining too much power, the branches balance one another.

• In the Supreme Court case Marbury v Madison, Chief Justice John Marshall detailed the principle of judicial review. Judicial review gave the Supreme Court the authority to interpret laws passed by Congress and executed by the President.

• This ruling reinforced the concept of checks and balances.

• Federalism-Divides government power between national, state, and local officials.

• Federalism insulates people from the effects of government authority.

• In addition, federalism diffuses the influence of the people on the national government.

The Federalist Papers.

James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay wrote a

series of articles in support of the Constitution, collectively known as

the Federalist Papers.

• Though the Constitution was approved by the delegates to the convention, individual states needed to approve (ratify) it. Some states were alarmed that the Constitution lacked a Bill of Rights. Many state constitutions contained bills of rights designed to protect individual liberties from government abuse.

• People who opposed the Constitution, largely because it lacked a Bill of Rights were called Anti-Federalists. Anti-Federalists also wanted the states to have more power than the national government.

• Federalists favored a stronger national government and opposed a Bill of Rights. In the Federalist Papers, Hamilton, Madison, and Jay detailed the flaws of the Articles of Confederation as well as the benefits of the new Constitution.