American political thought

Document Type:Essay

Subject Area:Politics

Document 1

However, the constitution could not be used before it was ratified by at least nine of the states. This constitution did not protect the basic human rights such as freedom of the press, freedom of speech and religious freedom. The constitution also failed to entrust power to the state governments (McConnell, 1484). For this reason, around five states ratified the constitution whereas the other states opposed it. Before ratification of the US constitution, there was a debate between the federalists and anti-federalists. The constitution by the federalist is referred to as “plain by some people, that is the checks and the balances it has, the division of the government to branches and having a balance in the branches, equal laws, the laws operating on people directly and many more.

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” This constitution was drafted in such a way that all interests are similarly represented and no interest at any point will ever dominate another interest (Rose, 75). The greatest right that the federalist constitution sought to protect was the right to property ownership. This constitution was purely capitalist therefore paying more attention to properties. it was subject to debate since not everyone agreed that this constitution could represent the basic constitution. The anti-federalists received lesser attention compared to the rest. This was mainly because they opposed implementation of the constitution. They thought that the constitution was aristocratic and did not have democracy in its structure (Kenyon, 5). According to Kenyon, a very large number of people were anti-federalists at the beginning (5). It is important to study and examine their ideas in order to understand the political thought of the United States.

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The constitution that was proposed provided that the first house of the representatives should have sixty-five members. Any additional member was supposed to be in the ratio of one representative per 30,000 people. The, therefore, argued that 65 members could not possibly represent the different interests of a large nation. They also argued that the more democratic people in the society were most likely to be left out in this system. During the ratification debate, this argument was mostly used and kept coming up. Federalists drafted and ratified the constitution due to self-interest. But then, the anti-federalists were involved in a debate with the federalists where they state that the constitution and the government should be a presentation of the common interest of the people.

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In the olden days, leadership was held by the upper class. A person from the middle class would fail terribly in an election. Virtue referred to the ability of a man to look out for his dependents and himself. He argues that it is the shared power that can move the hearts of people rather than honor and virtue. Publius argues that delegation of power majorly influences the way politicians and government officials behave. However, Publius does not state that self-interest is the only thing that motivates human behavior. He further says that courage, virtue, and honor can motivate human behavior. Though he believes this is the case, he does not believe that they are enough to help a person draft a constitution.

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The will of the virtuous farmers always prevailed. Agrarianism is what gave Publius the faith that a republican government guided by virtue and honor can actually work (Gibson, 497). While the agrarian republic focuses on equal rights and involvement for everyone, the commercial republic is totally different. According to Publius, it is composed of people who break the laws so as to serve their personal interests. This is what anti-federalists were against when they refused to ratify the constitution. I agree with governance by virtue rather than self-interest. While governing by virtue, it means that you have the interest of the local citizens at heart and are working for their greater good. This is exactly why we elect the leader, to serve as.

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