The Constitution serves as both the cornerstone and framework of American governance and democracy, having been adopted and ratified in 1788. Since its adoption, scholars and commentators alike have studied, analyzed and celebrated it as one of the greatest political documents ever. Yet despite extensive scholarship on it being produced each year since ratification there remain surprising facts and insights into some of those involved with its creation; here we’ll uncover these and gain new understanding into some surprising events which gave rise to it!
- Not All Founders Were Wealthy Elites
One common misperception about America’s Founding Fathers is that they were all wealthy elites gathered together for one reason – protecting their interests. While it’s true that some Founders were wealthy, not all did; for example Thomas Paine who wrote one of America’s most influential pamphlets “Common Sense,” born into poverty barely had enough funds to travel here from England.
Thomas Jefferson, famous author of the Declaration of Independence and one of its foremost signers, did not come from an affluent family either. Although he inherited a plantation from his father, Jefferson struggled with debt throughout his life – in fact his creditors even sold some of his possessions off in order to satisfy these dues!
Point is, while many of the founders were wealthy, they did not all come from elite backgrounds and needed to work hard in order to gain success in life.
- The Founding fathers held vastly divergent political ideologies
One of the more surprising facts about America’s Founding Fathers is their differing political ideologies. While most assume they shared one vision for its development, in truth they differed on many key issues – for instance Alexander Hamilton supported strong central government while Thomas Jefferson advocated decentralized power being devolved to state governments.
John Adams believed strongly in a strong executive branch while James Madison thought power should be divided among government branches. These differences of opinion led to heated discussions and disagreements among the Founders; yet their commitment to their nation enabled them to come together and craft an important document that represented both of their views.
- Slavery was a controversial issue among the Founding Fathers.
Slavery was an intractable issue among our Founding Fathers and played an influential role in creating our Constitution. Some, including Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, believed slavery to be an essential part of Southern economic life while other Founders such as Benjamin Franklin and John Adams saw slavery as immorality and opposed its practice.
The Three-Fifths Compromise was reached, counting slaves as three-fifths of a person for congressional representation purposes and marking it as an acknowledgment of slavery’s reality and power over politics of its time. This compromise proved painful but necessary at that moment in history.
- The Bill of Rights wasn’t initially part of the U.S. Constitution
The Bill of Rights enumerating individual liberties for Americans has long been celebrated within our Constitution; yet its inclusion was initially debated upon as its creators believed individual rights could be secured through government structure itself, without needing specific legislation enumerating individual liberties.
However, many Americans were concerned that without a Bill of Rights their freedoms might be at stake and James Madison who initially opposed its idea was instrumental in having it added after its ratification into the Constitution.
- Not Everyone Honored the Constitution Historically
Today, the Constitution is widely recognized as one of the greatest political documents ever drafted; yet in its early days there were numerous opponents to it – most prominently among them Thomas Jefferson who felt it gave too much power to federal governments while undermining individual liberties.
Patrick Henry was one of the delegates at the Constitutional Convention who did not sign the document due to concerns it represented an overreach of federal power. Debates surrounding its approval were sometimes contentious and contentious; yet American democracy proved strong as citizens came together behind its creation and supported it unanimously.
- Neither The Founders Nor The Organization Were Perfect
Finally, it is vitally important to recognize that America’s founders were far from perfect individuals. Like all humans they had flaws and contradictions; their vision for America was often constrained by time and circumstances – many owned slaves or supported policies which today would be considered oppressive.
At the same time, however, it must also be acknowledged that America’s founding leaders were visionaries who established an effective government that has endured for over 200 years. By setting aside individual differences and creating an amalgam of ideas encompassing everyone in society’s needs for unity they helped make history a better place than they ever could alone.
Conclusion
The United States Constitution is an outstanding document which has stood the test of time, having served millions of American people well for more than 200 years. It was created through a combined effort from numerous brilliant and visionary leaders who came together and formed an efficient government system which has served them well ever since. Yet as this article revealed, its creation by its authors left some surprising facts which we now explore further to gain a more in-depth knowledge about who created and shaped its content – insights which provide greater understanding into people, events and circumstances surrounding its creation!