Federal and State Power: The Constitution

Paper Summary:

This paper analyzes the main concerns of the founders when the wrote the Constitution of the United States, explaining that the delegates wanted limits on the federal government's power over the states and the citizens of the nation. Because of their experience with the British crown and the absence of freedom that existed in England for the common man at the time, the framers wanted to ensure that at no time could the federal government reduce state or individual freedoms. The paper explains that this is why the Bill of Rights was included as the first set of amendments to the Constitution, as it directly ensured that certain freedoms were protected. These amendments also stipulated that the federal government had enumerated power, rather than absolute power; an action "intended to keep the central government weak and to the keep the political power close to the people".

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