Saturday, March 26, 2011

Why was the Constitution a controversial document even as it was being written?

The American Constitution was controversial from the beginning, as ideas were divided between advocates - a solution to all the nation’s problems, and critics - a perversion of its republican principles. The advocates believed that the Constitution extended their republican ideas, adding a new level to the elected government, while the critics believe the republicans worked in small political units, in this case the states. How to divide the power between state governments and central government was therefore a main controversy while the Constitution was written and also later in time, remaining an important issue until today.


Source: Henretta, James A. and David Brody. America: A Concise History, Volume I: To 1877. 4th ed., Boston: Bedford/ St. Martin’s, 2010, Chapter 6

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