Question

What role did economic issues play in the Founding Fathers’ decisions about how to structure the United States government, including what powers the government would hold over trade and commerce?

Answer 1

The Founding Fathers had decided early on that the new nation had to build wealth very quickly in order to be taken seriously by other countries. If the new nation was not taken seriously, they would suffer from not being able to participate in trade and commerce, or even be a safe and secure nation. Economic issues also included self-defence, economy, and the needs of the people. The government was created by the Founding Fathers wanting a nation based on equality and inalienable right of "all men", and wanted the nation's wealth to grow quickly. The southern economy was based entirely on slavery, which made the Founders hesitant on prohibiting the practive in the Constitution.

Answer 2

The Articles of Confederation maintained the source of power in the individual states, not the national Confederation Congress. ... The Founding Fathers created a horizontal separation of powers to divide power between the three functions/branches (executive, legislative, judicial) of government.