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POLSCI2 Assignment 2

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9 views

POLSCI2 Assignment 2

Uploaded by

ajpongracz
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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AJ Pongress – Student ID# 0334053

Professor Brown
POLSCI-2-80509
3/21/18
Assignment #2
Preamble Ideals
To form a more perfect Union
By design, the Articles of Confederation were designed to make individual states stronger then
Congress, and at the same time form a union that would agree to work together for national and
international interests. Instead, states placed their own interests ahead of the union, as evidenced by
several states forming their own currency, a lack of cooperation in road building between states, and
refusing to fund a national army as a few examples (Harrison et al).
A “perfect Union” is categorized as each state adhering to a central government that places
national interests ahead of the state interests, and maintaining a strong economy fueled by
infrastructure like roads, canals, and uniform taxation. This concept was realized with the Constitution's
formation of dual sovereignty in which Congress had ultimate authority over the regulation of interstate
and foreign commerce, minting a national currency, and raising and funding a military to protect the
union. The issue of taxation was solved with Article I., Section 2., Clause 3 in that “Representatives
and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this
Union” (Harrison et al).

Establish Justice
Justice was a well known concept from the days of England's tyranny against what was fair and
just. Because a weak central government existed under the Articles of Confederation, states weren't
compelled to cooperate in granting uniform rights for persons under the eyes of the law, or for
cooperating with other states if a criminal crossed state lines. Some citizens who had fought in the
Revolutionary War were owed money and were left without compensation and without any answer
from state governments when dues were requested.
The Constitution addressed these issues largely through Article I., Section 9., and areas of
Article III. In Article I., concepts like habeas corpus (individuals told the cause of detention in court)
and prohibition of bills of attainder (guilty without a trial) and ex post facto laws (punishing acts that
were legal at the time the act was committed) granted uniform rights across all states. Article III gave
federal courts jurisdiction over cases involving citizens from different states and foreign nations, and
cases where states were themselves involved as a party (Harrison et al).

Insure Domestic Tranquility


Citizens wanted peace and order within the states, especially after Shay's Rebellion which
involved hundreds of citizens owed money taking up arms against the government of Massachusetts.
The weak central Congress requested funds from each state for a national army, but only Virginia
agreed.
Article I., Section 8., Clauses 15 & 16 addressed this, by allowing the federal government to
“call forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, and suppress Insurrections and repel
Invasions” and “to provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia” (Harrison et al).

Provide for the common defence


The war with Britain was fresh on everyone's minds, as well as the constant threat from Indian
attacks. Under the Articles of Confederation, the Union didn't have enough money to fund an army or
navy, and only one state agreed to pay towards a national army.
Article I., Section 8., Clause 1 specifically outlines collecting taxes to “provide for the common
Defence”, and in Article I., Section 8., Clauses 11, 12, 13, & 14 comprehensively allowed Congress to
form and maintain Armies and a Navy with those taxes (Harrison et al).

Promote the general Welfare


Because the Articles of Confederation allowed states to retain their sovereignty, state interests
were placed ahead of the welfare of the Union. This resulted in a weak economy and infrastructure,
which directly impacted the welfare of citizens struggling with debt.
Article I., Section 8., Clause 1 allowed Congress to collect taxes from all states for the “general
Welfare of the United States”, including that “all Duties, Imposts, and Excises shall be uniform
throughout the United States”. Clause 3 let Congress regulate commerce with foreign Nations, Indian
tribes, and between states, and Clause 7 established “Post Offices and post Roads” (Harrison et al).
Ultimately, all of this let a strong infrastructure form which boosted the economy and pushed the
country towards the Industrial Revolution.

Secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity


The country fought for liberty against England, so protecting freedom for current and future
generations was of paramount importance. State constitutions existed under the Articles of
Confederation, but they weren't uniform in protecting rights and freedoms of citizens. State
governments also had no checks against their power besides rebellion.
As mentioned for establishing Justice, habeas corpus, bills of attainder, and ex post facto laws
in Article I gave citizens universal protections, and Article III put states under the jurisdiction of federal
courts in certain matters. Another clause in Article I prevented states from granting special rights to
citizens based on heredity. The power of the federal government was split into three branches with
separation of powers, and throughout the Constitution a checks and balances system is expressed
through various clauses (Harrison et al).

Current Congress
Congress doesn't maintain a perfect union simply for the fact that a huge portion of taxes is used
to fund wars that have no direct benefit to U.S. citizens, and if the money was used instead to boost
education our economy would be better. Justice isn't universally established, as there are still detainees
in Guantanamo who haven't had a trial or charges in ten years or more. Domestic Tranquility is poor,
thanks to the availability of firearms and the number of public mass shootings we've experienced in the
last decade. Common defence is definitely provided for, as Congress spends more on national defense
then several other super powers combined. Promoting the general Welfare isn't universal either, as
some government regulations encourage corporations to operate overseas and reduce American jobs.
Securing Liberty is still an issue, since gay marriage rights weren't guaranteed until 2015.

Works Cited
Harrison, Brigid Callahan, et al. American Democracy Now. Fifth ed., Mcgraw-Hill Education, 2017.

Word Count (including Works Cited)


995

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