William_T._Bianco,_David_T._Canon]_American_Polit

The Constitution: a framework for government 51

This political cartoon from 1788

depicts the erection of the “eleventh

pillar of the great national dome” when

New York became the eleventh state

to ratify the Constitution, leaving

only North Carolina and Rhode

Island (shown as still wobbling in this

cartoon) to ratify the document.

The Constitution: A Framework for Government

The Constitution certainly has its flaws (some of which have been corrected through

amendments), primarily its undemocratic qualities: the indirect election of senators

and the president, the compromises that suppressed the issue of slavery (indeed,

the words “slave” and “slavery” do not appear in the Constitution), and the absence

of any general statement about citizens’ right to vote. However, given the delegates’

political context and the various factions that had to be satisfied, the Constitution’s

accomplishments are substantial.

The document’s longevity is testimony to the framers’ foresight in crafting a flexible

framework for government. Perhaps its most important feature is the system of separation

of powers and checks and balances that prevents majority tyranny while maintaining

sufficient flexibility for decisive leadership during times of crisis (such as the Civil War, the

Great Depression, and World War II). The system of checks and balances means that each

branch of national government has certain exclusive powers, some shared powers, and the

ability to check the other two branches (see How It Works: Checks and Balances).

Exclusive Powers

The framers viewed Congress as the “first branch” of government and granted it

significant exclusive powers. With the popularly elected House of Representatives

and the Senate indirectly elected by state legislatures, Congress was designed to be

both the voice of the people and an institution more removed from the people, with

an important role in domestic and foreign policy. Congress was given the specific

enumerated power to raise revenue for the federal government through taxes and

borrowing, regulate interstate and foreign commerce, coin money, establish post

offices and roads, grant patents and copyrights, create the system of federal courts,

OUTLINE THE MAJOR

PROVISIONS OF THE

CONSTITUTION

The Constitution is the guide

which I never will abandon.

—George Washington

enumerated powers

Powers explicitly granted to

Congress, the president, or the

Supreme Court in the first three

articles of the Constitution. Examples

include Congress’s power to “raise

and support armies” and the

president’s power as commander in

chief.

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