What was the Constitution's greatest flaw?
Asked by: Anita Gottlieb | Last update: December 29, 2025Score: 4.9/5 (70 votes)
The Constitution's biggest flaw was in protecting the institution of slavery. Many constitutional provisions did this. Article 1, Section 9, prohibits Congress from banning the importation of slaves until 1808, and Article 5 prohibited this from being amended.
What was the biggest flaw in the Constitution?
It is no secret that the Constitution signed on that fateful day of September 17, 1787 was highly flawed. It denied women and minorities, especially black individuals, their basic human rights for decades to come. It protected slavery. It denied civil liberties that should have been guaranteed to all.
What was one of the major flaws of the Constitution?
It brilliantly articulated the idea of fundamental equality — human equality. It beautifully articulated the notion that government's power flows from the people, and that government serves the people. But it was fundamentally flawed in preserving and propping up slavery, that ultimate form of inequality.
What was the main issue of the Constitution?
A chief aim of the Constitution as drafted by the Convention was to create a government with enough power to act on a national level, but without so much power that fundamental rights would be at risk.
What was the greatest concern of the Constitution?
A central issue at the Convention was whether the federal government or the states would have more power. Many delegates believed that the federal government should be able to overrule state laws, but others feared that a strong federal government would oppress their citizens.
How Aristotle Solved Democracy’s Biggest Flaw
What are the weaknesses of the Constitution?
Overall, while the Constitution has many strengths, its amendment process and inflexibility can be considered significant weaknesses that impede its ability to effectively adapt to the changing needs of the American people.
What were the 3 major issues at the Constitution?
Debates erupted over representation in Congress, over slavery, and over the new executive branch.
What was the first main problem with the Constitution?
The Anti-Federalists fought hard against the Constitution because it created a powerful central government that reminded them of the one they had just overthrown, and it lacked a bill of rights.
What were the 3 major reasons against the Constitution?
- the excessive power of the national government at the expense of the state government;
- the disguised monarchic powers of the president;
- apprehensions about a federal court system and its control over the states;
What are some problems with the U.S. Constitution?
- Congress Can Not Improve Poor Attendance by Delegates. ...
- Congress Pleads with the States to Contribute Money to the National Treasury. ...
- Congress is Unable to Control Commerce Between America and Foreign Nations.
What was a major criticism of the Constitution?
Five of their most significant objections to the Constitution are summarized in the excerpts that follow: that replacement of the Articles of Confederation was unnecessary; that the new government would give rise to a privileged aristocracy; that a stronger central government would obliterate the states; that a large, ...
What were the flaws of the Constitution of 1787?
- The states didn't act immediately. ...
- The central government was designed to be very, very weak. ...
- The Articles Congress only had one chamber and each state had one vote. ...
- Congress needed 9 of 13 states to pass any laws. ...
- The document was practically impossible to amend.
What was one major flaw of the first Constitution was that the government it created?
One of the biggest problems was that the national government had no power to impose taxes. To avoid any perception of “taxation without representation,” the Articles of Confederation allowed only state governments to levy taxes. To pay for its expenses, the national government had to request money from the states.
What was the biggest strongest argument against the Constitution?
The Anti- Federalists claimed the Constitution gave the central government too much power, and without a Bill of Rights the people would be at risk of oppression.
What word is spelled incorrectly in the Preamble?
There are no words that are spelled incorrectly in the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution. The word 'defence' is spelled with a 'c' but that is not a mistake. It is the accepted British spelling of the word 'defense. ' So while it is not the American version of the spelling, it is an accepted way to spell the word.
Why was the Constitution unfair?
The Constitution's biggest flaw was in protecting the institution of slavery. Many constitutional provisions did this. Article 1, Section 9, prohibits Congress from banning the importation of slaves until 1808, and Article 5 prohibited this from being amended.
Why was it very difficult to get laws passed?
The framers deliberately made it hard for Congress to make law because they were giving Congress all sorts of new powers that it didn't have under the Articles of Confederation, and they wanted to protect the states and protect federalism by making it hard for Congress to make law.
What issue did the Three-Fifths Compromise solve?
It determined that three out of every five slaves were counted when determining a state's total population for legislative representation and taxation. Before the Civil War, the Three-Fifths Compromise gave a disproportionate representation of slave states in the House of Representatives.
Why is the supremacy clause bad?
The Supremacy Clause generated significant controversy during debates over the Constitution's ratification. Anti-Federalist opponents of the Constitution argued that the Clause would make the national government overly powerful and infringe on state sovereignty.
What were some failures of the Constitution?
Thirdly, the national government was hampered by its structural features, including the absence of a national executive branch and the “supermajoritarian” procedures of the national legislatures; passing laws was too difficult, and the state governments were unable to implement national policies, including policies ...
Why were slaves counted as 3/5 of a whole person?
Viewed the opposite way, by including three-fifths of slaves in the legislative apportionment (even though they had no voting rights), the Three-fifths Compromise provided additional representation in the House of Representatives of slave states compared to the free states, if representation had been considered based ...
Where is slavery mentioned in the Constitution?
The “Fugitive Slave Clause” in Article IV, Section 2, Clause 2, provides that “no person held to service or labour in one state, under the laws thereof, escaping into another, shall, in consequence of any law or regulation therein, be discharged from such service or labour, but shall be delivered up on claim of the ...
What were three arguments against the Constitution?
Several arguments were voiced repeatedly during the ratification debates: That the Convention had exceeded its authority in producing a new Constitution; That the Constitution established the basis for a monarchical regime; That the Constitution lacked explicit protections for individual and states rights.
What was the greatest weakness of the Articles of Confederation?
The major downfall of the Articles of Confederation was simply weakness. The federal government, under the Articles, was too weak to enforce their laws and therefore had no power. The Continental Congress had borrowed money to fight the Revolutionary War and could not repay their debts.