American Governement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

American Governement - Essay Example That is, the constitution that has become synonymous with what is known of the American existence. To best understand the power of the document and the events surrounding its creation, the first thing to do, would be to observe the very men who were involved, with the process of creating it from the beginning. The very men that, through their efforts, would pave the way towards the present state of the American process of government. One of those very men would be James Madison. A man who would set forth to help create a governing document and someone who would at one point serve the young nation as it's 4th President. With everything riding upon the insatiable desire of the men to create a document that would prove to be long lasting, the stakes involved would appear to be considerable. A key concern for the founders, would be the preservation of liberty. Author James Wilson includes the following portion in his text, of a statement given by James Madison, that involved the creation of a stable government. It reads in part, "... You must first enable the government to control the governed: and in the next place oblige it to control itself," (Wilson, p. 15, 2005). As is the case in many other instances, initial intentions may fall by the waste side during the course of an initial process with a desire goal(s) in mind. In the case of the Constitutional Convention, "When James Madison and the other 56 delegates to the Constitutional Convention met in Philadelphia in May 1787, they intended to amend the Articles of Confederation," ("James Madison's", para. 1, n.d.). While the men would have initially come together to revise an existing document, the resulting consequences of their final work would have lasting implications for over two centuries. Another existing document that served to be a basis for the resulting doctrine of the constitution, would be the Virginia Plan. Basically a summation of the intended items intended for inclusion in the final draft of the constitution, the plan itself would become one of the many parts of this historical period in time. "By agreeing to consider the Virginia Plan, the convention, fundamentally altered its task from amending the Articles to designing a true national government," (Wilson, p.16, 2005). To give a better glimpse of the outside environment surrounding the convention, "May 25, 1787, freshly spread dirt covered the cobblestone street in front of the Pennsylvania State House, protecting the men inside from the sound of passing carriages and carts," (Bent, para. 1, n.d.). From such menial beginnings at the heart of pre-technological advancement, along with varying sociological and economic circumstances of the era at the time, the constitution would be an enduring document that would stand the test of time. Having the intended changes and guidelines be such that, it would continue to be felt by the very nation that it was created to protect. In place of a reigning monarch, the American political system would be comprised of a central political figure, in this case the President, along with a judicial branch made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate. With each body of power, the President's being considered the Executive, having their own roles that would, from time to time over many decades, find themselves intertwined with each other to varying degrees. Aligning itself with this very mentality, authors Allan J. Cigler and Burdett A. Loomis make