The American Constitution

"We the People of the United States..." These words begin arguably the single most important document in American history: the Constitution of the Constitution of the United States of America. Written by James Madison in 1787, the intentions of this document were to form a stable central government for the newly-independent America. Together, the government and the document from which it was constructed would form the "supreme law of the land". Though Madison is credited as the author and writer of the initial draft of the Constitution, many m

en contributed to the writing of this all-important document, including the likes of George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, and Benjamin Franklin. The Constitution, once completed, was the successor to the Articles of Confederation, which were set up while Americans were still fighting the American Revolution. As a result, by the end of the war, the policies were either outdated or contrary to what delegates believed would be right for the nation. Essentially, the Articles of Confederation put too much power into the hands of the individual states, and not enough into the central govern

ment. Though this foundation sufficed during the war, the founding fathers saw that there was potential for larger states to become more powerful, thus the Constitution was born.

By taking power out of the hands of individual states and putting it back into a central government, the country could be kept and controlled as one unit, rather than in 13 separate governing bodies. The Constitution has survived for nearly a quarter of a millenium since it's creation, and the policies set by it continue to be the backbone of our country. Though ratifications were made over the years by additions like the Bill of Rights, the general concepts of the Constitution remain the same.