ent. On June 13 delegates from smaller states rallied around proposals offered by New Jersey delegate William Paterson. Railing against efforts to throw the states into "hotchpots," Paterson proposed a "union of the States merely federal." The "New Jersey resolutions" called only for a revision of the articles to enable the Congress more easily to raise revenues and regulate commerce. It also provided that acts of Congress and ratified treaties are "the supreme law of the States." With these two proposals, a rift in the delegates formed.The creation of the Constitution entailed many hours of debate and compromise, and even when it was completed, some delegates were unhappy with it. It is often said that the U.S. Constitution is a bundle of compromises, in the end both sides of the Constitutional debate had to give and take in order to get a well working document. The anti-federalists argued that it gave too much power to the national government at the expense of the state government, there was no bill of rights (felt that the delegations of rights in the Constitution were too broad and vague), Congress (because of the necessary and proper clause) wielded too much power, and finally the executive branch held too much power. Federalists countered with the idea of separation of powers and checks and balances. Balancing states rights with the needs of a central government was the major issue in creating the Constitution of the United States. The framers accomplished this by letting the states keep all the powers necessary to regulate the daily lives of their citizens, provided that these powers did not conflict with the needs and welfare of the nation (the 10th Amendment.) The national powers are balanced by a deceivingly complicated system of checks and balances. This division of authority, federalism, is instrumental in the steady flow of our nationThe idea of separation of powers was enhanced by the checks and balances system insta...
