Ratifying the Constitution Editorial

This article goes over the reasons Colonists should ratify the constitution. It is written as an editorial, in 1788....

Ratifying the Constitution Editorial 

1788

There’s a fine line to the thing we call freedom, and over the past few years, the people of the United States have been wondering where the boundaries are to this independence. The ups and downs that freedom has brought to the Americas have been hard to handle. Many years of war and struggle were required to escape the tyranny of British government, and now that it’s all over, many people in the newborn republic are starting to wonder if they made the right decision. Fortunately, the founding fathers have not given up on this young country yet, and have spent long hours discussing the welfare of the present and future years of this nation. Over the past few weeks the Continental Congress put together a document that will totally change the life and lay down the law within the colonies, it is called the Constitution. Starting with the words, “We the People, of the United States of America,” the Constitution speaks of a government that links all the colonies as one union. However, the many people worry that these documents speaking of liberty will actually ruin the republic entirely. As states start to consider ratification, it’s important for all colonists to know what the Constitution implies.

James Madison was one man who definitely realized that we were in need of a vast change.  He was there when we fret about the Shays’ Rebellion, and finally decided it was time for him to make a difference. Looking over many past republics and democracy’s he made a plan. With the goal of making a free country that can work together, he threw out the old ideas in the Articles of Confederation, and presented a whole new plan to the Constitutional Convention. The men of the convention worked together over the course of long, stressful, and hot hours to form the country we all dream of. Now they’re urging each state to ratify the document, so we can once again, band together, and stay that way. Many people have feared that all this work on a national level will result in an all powerful king like they were used to in the past. However, the Constitution’s goal is just the opposite. When the convention took place, there was one main goal; to create a government that was for the good of all people. They formed the new Constitution around the idea that certain areas of government cannot over power others, and each person needs to have a voice. To do this, they made checks and balances. This made it so that no single part of government could get too powerful. The three parts of Government that would constantly be checking one another are called the Executive, Judicial, and Legislative Branches. These checks and balances are a great way to pass things only for the good of each individual, and in the mean time make the United States even more united.

Many people wonder how their voice will be heard in the government, the last thing they want is a demanding government like they had in Britain. The way the Constitution respects each individual’s voice is by voting for the officials. People in each of the previously talked about branches would be put into office by the voting public. The public votes on who they feel believes the same way they do, and then in office the elected person can put the ideas into action. Each state would also receive representation within the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Great Compromise said that there would be two houses of Congress. The Senate, the upper house of congress would consist of two individuals from each state. The House of Representatives that would be put together based on population. This means that each state would be able to have their own feelings heard by the others, no matter how small they may be. One issue that came about with this proposal was how slaves would be counted, if the House of Representatives relied on total population. After a heated debate, there was another compromise that each slave would count as 3/5ths of a person. This means that in the southern states, they receive delegates based on the idea that each slave raises the population of the state by 3/5.

Another great reason the Constitution has to be put in place, is because of our National debt. America was unable to tax its population under the Articles of Confederation. Although this kept some colonists happy, the lack of a budget was playing very negative effects on the government. Because of this, the constitution stated that the public can be taxed, as long as it was accepted in the three branches of government. The American people should understand that this needs to be the case. When Britain first started taxing the colonies, the people shouted “No taxation without representation.” But now that America is putting together their own government, contributions for the good of all, must be put in place.

Although this new Constitution might hold some very good ideas, there are still some people around us that dislike the idea of becoming more of a union. Each of us must realize that the Constitution will in no way take away the rights we love. Through many checks and balences, the Constitution insures that we have people looking out for our freedom and the good of our country. This ends a lot of fears about the United States becoming too much of an overpowering National government instead of a Federal one. Most anti-federalists believe that since the Constitution included no Bill of Rights, their own rights would start to disappear. However, as we’ve seen, this is not the case, and if their concerned about having their voice heard in government, ratifying the Constitution is the best thing they could do. The Constitutional Convention decided that nine of the 13 colonies would have to ratify the constitution before it was put into place. If you feel that these ideas are all a necessary part of our government, I urge you to work toward ratification of your own state. If we can get this passed, our states will be able to work together to reap the benefits.

Only time can tell how the Constitution will fare in the United States. Many wonder whether our dreams of independence have started to come true. It seems however, that the Constitution is giving us all a light of hope that we possibly will be able to make it through as a republic, and follow the freedom we fought for. Ratifying the Constitution is one very beneficial action, and many believe it alone could give us a good start to making this country an even better one.