|
|
|
|
George Washington: Founder of a Nation From the time he took command of the American Revolutionary forces in 1775 until he gave his Farewell Address to the nation in 1796 and returned to his Mount Vernon plantation, George Washijgton (1732–1799) was indeed, "First in war, first in peace, first in the hearts of his countrymen." His military success, combined with his diplomacy and practical political acumen, gave him overwhelming moral authority, which he used to inspire the Constitutional Convention, to secure the ratification of the Constitution, and then to guide the new nation through its first years.
Washington's Career
Washington's Life An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution Charles Beard, historian and political scientist, provided the most controversial historical interpretation of the origin of American national government in his landmark book, An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution of the United States (1913). Not all historians agree with Beard's economic interpretation, but all concede that it is a milestone in understanding the U.S. Constitution. Beard closely studied unpublished financial records of the U.S. Treasury Department and the personal letters and financial accounts of the fifty-five delegates to the Philadelphia convention. He concluded that they represented five economic groups, all of whom benefited from specific provisions of the Constitution: holders of public bonds, merchants and manufacturers, bankers and investors, western land speculators, and slave owners.
Economic Interests and the U.S. Constitution Let the People Vote on National Issues "Direct democracy" means that the people themselves can initiate and decide policy questions by popular vote. The Founders were profoundly skeptical of this form of democracy. They had read about direct democracy in the ancient Greek city-state of Athens, and they believed the "follies" of direct democracy far outweighed any virtues it might possess. It was not until more than 100 years after the U.S. Constitution was written that wide-spread support developed in the American states for direct voter participation in policy making. Direct democracy developed in states and communities, and it is to be found today only in state and local government. James Madison and the Control of "Faction" The most important contributions to American democracy by James Madison (1751–1836) were his work in helping to write the Constitution and his insightful and scholarly defense of it during the ratification struggle. Indeed, Madison is more highly regarded by political scientists and historians as a political theorist than as the fourth president of the United States. The Debates of the 1787 Constitutional Convention Canada’s Parliamentary System The United States and Canada are both democracies, but there are very important differences in the way Americans and Canadians govern themselves. Canada is recognized as a constitutional monarchy rather than a republic. Officially the head of state for Canada is the Queen of England, who is represented in Canada by a Governor-General. The Governor-General, and occasionally the queen, undertake ceremonial roles in Canada. The Canadian government was initially established by the British North American Act of 1867, passed by the British Parliament. Canada’s parliamentary system of Government Objections to the Constitution by an Anti Federalist Virginia's George Mason was a delegate to the Constitutional Conventions of 1787, but he refused to sign the final document and became a leading opponent of the new Constitution. Mason was a wealthy plantation owner and a heavy speculator in western (Ohio) lands. He was a friend of George Washington's, but he considered most other political figures of his day to be "babblers" and he generally avoided public office. However, in 1776 he authored Virginia's Declaration of Rights, which was widely copied in other state constitutions and became the basis for the Bill of Rights.
|