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The Achievement of the Philadelphia Convention
‘‘. . . establish justice . . .’’ That meant a systematic Federal judiciary,
Montesquieu’s ‘‘depository of laws,’’ with an independent Supreme
Court.
‘‘. . . insure domestic tranquillity . . .’’ That implied adequate military
force to maintain peace and order, and to avert organized violence.
‘‘. . . provide for the common defense . . .’’ That signified the need to
give the general government the means by which to raise and support an
army and a navy to defend the country.
‘‘. . . promote the general welfare . . .’’ Here the Framers had in mind
one of their principal objectives: to establish a government that promoted
the common good, and not just the interests of the few.
‘‘. . . and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity
. . .’’ This reference to freedom meant that one of the major purposes of
the Constitution was to protect individual liberty, not to sacrifice it for
other goals.
In addition, the Convention delegates also had to resolve the following
major difficulties if the Constitution was to be acceptable to the American
people:
A. Political sovereignty—which certain philosophers believed to be
indivisible—had to be divided between a Federal government and the
several Sta є