Constitutional Creation

12 Pages 2978 Words

The original Constitution of 1787 created a government elite working with a private sector elite. Although this type of government is mostly just, it has some unjust aspects. In a government elite working with a private sector elite, the minority of wealthy property owners governs; furthermore, the national government is strong enough to protect the haves from the have-nots. The government also serves to protect wealth and private property. The eleven years before it was written, the 55 men who wrote it, and the philosophy of the era all influenced major aspects of the Constitution of the United States, the supreme law of the land.
The eleven years prior to the writing of the Constitution, was an era of creditor vs. debtor. During this time period, the states suffered inflation, poor interstate commerce, and rebellions. When the debtor class of farmers was unable to pay back the creditors, the states printed money and gave it to the debtors to pay back their debts. This led to inflation and worthless money. Many debtors, however, took matters further into their own hands. For example, Daniel Shay burned the courthouse to protest the foreclosure of his farm. The states also set barriers of trade from other states, which ruined the economy further. The creditor class was in danger, and according to Capitalist theory, so was the health of the economy (Text, 50). The creditor class realized that the debtors cannot be trusted with the government, and saw the needs of nationalism (Text, 52). After all, the cause of printing money were the debtors anyway; they made up the majority of the people. During this time period there existed a very weak national government, and strong democratic state legislatures, who were directly influenced by voter opinion. The debtors put pressure on their representatives to create absurd and harmful laws. To correct the problems, a group of 55 elite men from different states met in Philadelphia, “for the speci...