Luke Hanus, U.S. Constitution essay

The U.S. Constitution as written in 1787 is a democratic document considering the times, the constitution was extremely democratic. It allowed a huge percentage of the population (for that period) to vote, it had modest requirements to be a governmental official (again, for that time period), and it gave white males the right to be on juries and militias, two important democratic institutions (Robert A. Dahl Yale University Press). Yes, the constitution was extremely democratic, radically so in many respects considering the time and situation under which it was created (Robert A. Dahl Yale University Press). The constitution was created so that we as a people could achieve freedom from control of one absolute ruler, giving power to the people, as well as a voice (Robert A. Dahl Yale University Press). It has been our constitution ever since it was written in 1787 by a group of exceptionally wise men and was then ratified by conventions in all the states (Robert A. Dahl Yale University Press). Delegates in key states met in Annapolis, Maryland to discuss the nation’s commercial weaknesses; there a proposal was made to have each state send delegates to a national convention to be held in Philadelphia in May 1787, with the purpose of strengthening our government (Christine Barbour, Gerald C. Wright, 81). These delegates represented the very cream of American society, as they were well educated in a time when most of the population was not, fifty percent having attended Harvard, William and Mary, Columbia, and other institutions that are still in the top of the educational hierarchy (Christine Barbour, Gerald C. Wright, 81). Some of the attending delegates included George Washington, George Mason, Edmund Randolph, and James Madison, all from Virginia, as well as Benjamin Franklin, Governor Morris from Pennsylvania, and Alexander Hamilton representing New York (Christine Barbour, Gerald C. Wright, 81). The Philadelphia Convention was authorized to try and fix the Articles of Confederation, but it was clear that many of the fifty-five state delegates who gathered in May were not interested in saving the existing framework at all (Christine Barbour, Gerald C. Wright, 81). Even though they were, on the whole, a young group, they were politically experienced, many had been active in Revolutionary politics, and they were well read in the political theories such as the ideas of Enlightenment thinker John Locke (Christine Barbour, Gerald C. Wright, 81). Federalism unlike a confederation, gives the central