Has the U.S Constitution Betrayed the Colonist beliefs? Essay
The main idea of the revolution was that a republic was the true and appropriate form of a government. Republics did not exist in any of the European countries back then, and thus this antique form of government was pretty revolutionary as republics didn’t usually last. Let’s go back to the time of the colonist states to gain an understanding of their beliefs which existed before the creation of the United States. These colonist states had various ideas regarding what kind of government they wanted to create and the laws they wanted in the said country.
Obviously, these ideas became the cause of the revolutionary war but eventually, a time came when it was needed for those ideas to be noted down in the form of a document. Thus the constitution was formed during the Philadelphia Convention. Some of the greatest minds of that era came together to contribute and create it. The main point of creating the constitution was that it should not give too much power to a single person as it always resulted in anarchy and tyranny. The American people did not have any interest in having the same parliamentary system as that of the British Monarchy.
A very well-known issue that existed during that time was equality between men. A lot of people hated the monarchy which existed at that time due to the difference between rights. Everyone was born the same way albeit from a different womb, and it didn’t make sense to discriminate one from the other. A famous author named Paine wrote a book called Rights of Men which defended the French revolution even though he was a British man where it was very common for the common man to be stripped of his basic essential rights while favoritism was shown to individuals of noble birth.
The American people similar to that of the French did not want this issue to exist in their country. Due to which the constitution begins with “We the people…” which in turn resulted in a unified feeling among the American people which was not the case before the revolution. Obviously, people did not start to believe in equality as soon as the law was made but the creation of the constitution helped in the creation of equality between men which was later expanded to include women and children as well.
Another issue that existed during that time was the issue of no representation. A famous slogan during the revolution was no taxation without representation. Lack of representation was one major reason that led to the war; the colonist believed that they were not represented in the British parliament and this deeply upset their feelings towards the British. The issue was not that of taxation but of the fact that the monarchy did not value their opinion and considered them inferior. The constitution gives this right to them but states that taxes are a civic duty which everyone must pay to have revenue.
Whether or not the constitution fulfilled ALL the wishes of the colonists is still a debate. Alexander Hamilton was one of the few people during the signing of the constitution who were not completely satisfied with it but agreed that it was a vast improvement over its alternative, the Articles of Confederation. Another individual, James Madison believed that an individuals own beliefs and judgments might cloud his decision making and thus not make the best decision since we are all humans.
In conclusion, it is best to remember that the constitution is not set in place nor is it dead. It is a constantly evolving plethora of information that tells us how the government should be run for the most favorable outcome for the people. Not everyone will agree with the constitutionals changes but the majority of people do, and that is what matters as you can’t please everyone.
