Purpose of the Constitution

Constitution of the United States must be understood within the broader cultural, historical contexts in which it was drafted and ratified. The most basic explanation of the "original intent" of the Constitution is that the founders needed to formulate a cohesive and consistent system of governance and political culture after independence. The core issues at stake were Federalism vs.

anti-Federalism, and the need to strike a balance between a federal government that was strong enough to oversee key economic, social, and political institutions and one that was kept in check by regional or state powers. The social and economic diversity within individual states, and between the states, made the framing of the Constitution an arduous process. By the time the Constitutional Convention convened, it became apparent that the Articles of the Confederation were insufficient.

There was no sense of nationhood with the Articles; no means by which to effectively unite in matters related to the economy or national security. In fact, the first threat to national security post-Revolution occurred as a domestic uprising. Shays Rebellion was crucial to the determination to form a more perfect union out of the disparate states and their diverse populations. A key social issue played itself out before, during, and after Shays Rebellion: that being the class conflicts that were brewing with intensity in some parts of the republic.

Wealth and political power were concentrated into the hands of a relative few who could too easily ride roughshod over the new nation's poor: the people who Shays represented. Shays' iconic rebellion was not isolated; but it was the most highly organized. Wealth disparity had become immediately apparent after the Revolution. Shays rebellion highlighted the need for a government that was more responsive to citizens, and responsible for them in terms of maintaining just social, economic, and political institutions.

The rebellion also brought to light the need to form a comprehensive strategy for national defense. The Articles of the Confederation provided for neither a federal tax system, nor a strong national military. It was as if the states had come to fear authority so much that political leaders dismissed entirely the idea that a central government could actually be by the people, and for the people.

Yet Shays Rebellion also drew attention to the fact that it was the wealthy elite who were empowered to create the type of government that best suited them. Fearing the angry masses that Shays Rebellion represented, the framers conducted their meetings in secrecy, without the oversight of the fifth estate -- the media -- as a tool for genuinely democratic proceedings.

Yet if it was not to people like Shays and yeomen, to whom was the new government responsible? The design of the Constitution set forth the means by which to create a government that was not a direct democracy: one that would not enable the perceived chaos that arose during Shays Rebellion. The design of the Constitution.