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| The Founding Fathers and the Constitutional Struggle Over Centralized Power |
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Author: Sean Berg, Lakeland Elementary/Middle School, Baltimore City Public School System
Grade Level: Upper Elementary/Middle
Duration: 2-3 periods |
Overview:
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Soon after the American revolutionaries completed the Articles of Confederation, they realized that the documents were inadequate to the task of unifying a diverse group of newly-independent colonies. A debate thus ensued, between the Federalist side, led by Alexander Hamilton and James Madison, and the Anti-Federalists, led by Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry, over exactly how much power and authority to give Congress and the other central branches of the new government. Hamilton et al argued that a strong central government would be essential to the nation's survival and prosperity, while his opponents insisted that most of the nation's power should rest within the state and local governments. By 1787, a compromise of sorts was worked out, resulting in our Constitution and its first set of amendments, the Bill of Rights. The Founders were justifiably proud of their historic achievement, but that stubborn tension between federal and state power would eventually push the nation into Civil War, and even today can be a divisive point of contention. |
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