Why were the framers of the U.S. Constitution torn between creating a governmental system with a strong central government and building a system in which most of the power would be positioned in the individual states?
Sample Solution
The framers of the U.S. Constitution were torn between creating a strong central government and allocating most of the power to the individual states due to their different experiences with government under British rule. Those who favored a strong central government wanted to ensure that America would be able to effectively represent itself in international affairs, while those who favored state sovereignty wanted to prevent another scenario similar to how Great Britain had infringed upon American colonists’ freedoms and rights. Ultimately, they came up with a compromise that allowed for both federalism (the sharing of power between federal and state governments) and separation of powers (ensuring that no single branch of the government had too much control).