History and Political Science - Essay Example

At the core of the issue was their original demand for representation but not independence. The American leaders knew that the nation is destined for greater things than just being a colony.

The economic atmosphere was likewise that of a new beginning; for the country was on the verge of becoming a great economic power herself due to its vast natural resources. The former British colonizers were exploiting American resources for export to their colonies.

The primary domestic concern of the newly-independent Americans was to preserve the nation so it will not fragment into small independent states. There were some frictions with the slave-holding Southern states such as the 3/5 clause which gave these Southerners big political clout for every slave owned (Amar 17). Hyper-inflation was a big issue (Trask 1).

Throughout much of Europe, the people there were overthrowing their monarchies and tried to give back power to the people. The French Revolution, for example, tried to do this by toppling their king because their political structure was based on feudalism. The American framers of the constitution tried to imagine every political possibility that could happen in the distant future by integrating flexibility such as that by way of amendments. It also ensured checks and balances by making the three branches of government co-equal. The political challenge was to prevent anyone from becoming a dictator and impose his own rule on them; this was why the American electoral college was also invented by the framers.