US Constitution as a Revolutionary Document Essay Sample

In September of 1786, a meeting was called for the delegates of the United States of America to come together and revise the Articles of Confederation. This meeting however was unsuccessful with only delegates from only five states in attendance. However, this convention made it clear that the articles of confederation needed to be revised for the Union to thrive. However, the delegates at the Annapolis Convention were unable to make any amendments to the articles as all states needed to vote to pass the creation of the amendment. Therefore the delegates decided they would host another meeting with all intentions of revising the articles. On May  25th, 1787 delegates and elected officials gathered in Philadelphia Pennsylvania to revise the Articles of Confederation. This meeting would result in the articles of confederation being thrown out and the writing of the United states constitution. Although all government officials were not directly elected by the people, the United States constitution was ultimately revolutionary as it provided a baseline for democratic governments and offered American citizens the opportunity to make change through their political representatives, and exemplified the concept of compromise and prioritizing the will of the people.

The United States Government shaped democracy by creating a check and balance system to not allow anyone too much power. With a majority of the residents of the  United States at the time being from England, there were obvious fears of a tyrant taking power and taking away the freedom they had fought for. To ensure the fact that the government would be able to withstand tyranny, delegates set up a system of checks and balances.  This system ensured that no branch of government would become too powerful. The branches included the executive, the judicial as well as the legislative (checks and balances). The executive branch was responsible for the overall passing and vetoing of laws, the appointment of judiciary members, and the command of the armed forces. However, due to the checks, the legislative branch would be able to veto the presidential vote in Congress. The legislative was responsible for creating laws, declaring war as well as regulating trade. The laws created in the legislative branch must be deemed constitutional by the judiciary and passed by the president. These systems of checks and balances do not allow for anyone party to obtain too much power, therefore separating it’s self from the popular monarchies and tyrannies of the time period. This system was revolutionary as well as a pivotal way to protect the citizens of the United States from a tyrannical ruler.

The American Constitution was revolutionary for its time as it is a paper of compromise. The constitution was carefully crafted by delegates and representatives to ensure that all people be protected and represented by the government. This required great compromise on issues regrading representation as well as issues regarding what should be included in the constitution. The issues and values that people across the nation faced varied immensely from each other, so it was important that the delegates worked together to find a solution. Another issue that the delegates faced was the anti-federalists who had immense fears of this new system of government. They believed that a strong centralized government in the United States would have the same outcome as the tyranny that was placed upon them in England. For those fears to be alleviated and for the anti-federalists to agree to terms of the constitution the Bill of Rights was created. These rights included the right to freedom of speech, religion, and assembly, the right to bear arms, the rights to the accused, the right to deny quartering soldiers as well as the statement that any rights not directly stated in these ten amendments would go to the states or the people (US constitution). Like the Bill of Rights compromises about representation and who would be represented needed to be discussed. The small states wanted set representation with each state receiving one vote per state. This plan was deemed the New Jersey plan. In opposition to the New Jersey plan, larger states enacted their own plan. The Virginia plan. This plan would have the number of votes a state receive be proportional to its population. Smaller were opposed to this as it would give more power to the larger states. This issue however was resolved in the constitution with a great compromise. This compromise stated that states would receive proportional representation in the House of Representatives while the Senate would have an equal representation among the states. This compromise was revolutionary as it allowed for an even divide between population and equal representation (Compromises in the Consitution). All of the compromises made in the constitution allowed it to be a revolutionary document as it was the first of its kind to enact such compromises for the good of the states and the people.

Although some may argue that this document was not revolutionary  because all of the government officials were not directly elected by the people, they were indirectly voted on by the people. This however was done in means of protecting the people. As the constitution is a combination of philosophical ideas it makes sense that this idea of not trusting the masses would be incorporated into the constitution. It was understood by most democrats that if they gave control to the masses it would become a state of nature ("Hobbes, Locke, Montesquieu, and Rousseau on Government."). The government under the constitution allows for the masses to have their vote in congress, however the population does not have full control over the election of a president or the appointments of members of the judiciary. These appointments and voting ways are however voted on by elected officials on behalf of the people. This system is revolutionary in the sense that it combines the philosophical idea of denying power to the masses and the will of the people.

The United States Constitution was a revolutionary document as it was created on a basis of compromise for the greater good of society, as well as allowed the citizens of America to have representation and be apart of the change they wanted to see in the country. The checks and balances also incorporated into the constitution exemplify its revolutionary aspect. Through and through the United States Constitution is a revolutionary document that stands a test of time.