The fledgling United States faced multiple crises following the victory at Yorktown. The country labored under an enormous debt, and the currency was in a shambles. Facing foreclosures, Daniel Shays and his fellow farmers in western Massachusetts rose up against tax collectors.
Four years into the new republic, it was clear that the Articles of Confederation could not serve the country. The burning question was how to balance states rights with a strong centralized federal government.
The key shaper of the new document at the Constitutional convention in Philadelphia in the summer of 1787 was the gifted intellect James Madison. What came to be known as the "Great Compromise" broke the deadlock through the innovation of bicameral legislation in the structure of the two Houses of Congress.
The Constitution was a delicate balance among monarchy, aristocracy, and democracy. In the end, it was not a perfect document, but Ben Franklin felt that it was the best possible result. Franklin glimpsed "a rising sun" in the nation's future. A Bill of Rights was a subsequent refinement of the Constitution that ensures the rights of the citizens.
George Washington is the indispensable man for a strong executive. Yet at his New York inauguration, he felt that he was "a culprit going to his execution." But he will provide the necessary leadership at the head of the troops during the Whiskey Rebellion in western Pennsylvania. He demonstrates magnanimity in pardoning the rebels.
In his time, there was clearly no one comparable to George Washington. Napoleon appropriately quipped, "They wanted me to be another Washington, and I couldn't do it."
Four years into the new republic, it was clear that the Articles of Confederation could not serve the country. The burning question was how to balance states rights with a strong centralized federal government.
The key shaper of the new document at the Constitutional convention in Philadelphia in the summer of 1787 was the gifted intellect James Madison. What came to be known as the "Great Compromise" broke the deadlock through the innovation of bicameral legislation in the structure of the two Houses of Congress.
The Constitution was a delicate balance among monarchy, aristocracy, and democracy. In the end, it was not a perfect document, but Ben Franklin felt that it was the best possible result. Franklin glimpsed "a rising sun" in the nation's future. A Bill of Rights was a subsequent refinement of the Constitution that ensures the rights of the citizens.
George Washington is the indispensable man for a strong executive. Yet at his New York inauguration, he felt that he was "a culprit going to his execution." But he will provide the necessary leadership at the head of the troops during the Whiskey Rebellion in western Pennsylvania. He demonstrates magnanimity in pardoning the rebels.
In his time, there was clearly no one comparable to George Washington. Napoleon appropriately quipped, "They wanted me to be another Washington, and I couldn't do it."