Americans have just celebrated the 234th anniversary of the United States Constitution during Constitution Week, Sept. 17-23.
Yet how many of us realize that when the delegates to the Constitutional Convention debated the specifics of the document, many did not trust each other and they all wanted to be citizens of their own states rather than giving up rights to join together as a nation?
Some of the very first stumbling blocks they encountered in their debates were the words “national” and “American.” Most delegates preferred to remain a citizen of their own states rather than form a nation; forming a nation would mean that power and influence would rest with the national government and that smaller states would not have the same amount of power as larger states.
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Until these issues were addressed, they were in a stalemate. After lengthy debate, this issue was solved through the “Great Compromise” in which all states would have equal representation in the Senate and representation based on population in the House of Representatives.
As they deliberated, it also became evident a leader was needed. Would this be a president and if so, how would the president be chosen?
Many were opposed to the idea of a president because it reminded them of a king, of which they had just rid themselves, and many delegates thought the people were not educated enough to choose a president.
It is a tribute to the framers of the Constitution that today we have a national system of government that is led by a president who is chosen by the people.
Today we accept these ideas, but we should remember this was not always the case. At one time in history the idea of a national government was strange, perhaps even “revolutionary.”
LEONORA OWRE
La Villita Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution
College Station