Thomas Jefferson once described how too much government creates a dictatorship, too little government creates anarchy, and eithe
r outcome harms the citizens. Consider the federal government that the Founders crafted in 1787. It took serious debates for the Founders to sculpt a new government that balanced individual liberty with governmental authority. For this activity, you will write a 250-word essay that argues your opinion about the Constitutional Convention. You can imagine you are one of the delegates to the convention and argue from that perspective. You can even choose a specific player in the debates and compromises. In your essay, answer these questions: Do you think the final version of the US Constitution created a political system that gives too much, too little or just enough power to the central government? Do you think the Great Compromise created a functional and fair representative congress?
Madison believed that the diversity of interests among people in a large territory would prevent factions from forming powerful majorities. As a result, Madison argues that peoples' rights would be safe not only from the rule of a tyrant but from the mob rule of a direct democracy.
