The Articles Of Confederation: Basis Of American Government

In conclusion, the Articles of Confederation provided the United States with an ineffective government in the 1780’s because of the lack of power to tax, raise an army, or regulate trade; however, it redeemed itself with the creation of the land ordinances of 1785 and 1787, and keeping the states together after the American Revolution. This government held the states together after the war, but it would not have for much longer if the constitutional convention did not draft a new document with which to govern the country that would fix the arising issues that came with the Articles of

The Articles of Confederation were developed after the Revolutionary War, and were a good idea to help set standards for America. However, they had some major problems that needed to be solved in order for America to become a strong nation. After these problems were addressed the Constitution was developed.

“In November 1777 the Continental Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation, the United States first written constitution.”(Ginsberg, et. al. 2014: 35). The Articles of Confederation played a big role in the drafting of the United States’ new constitution. The articles were our United States’ first written governing document. The Articles of Confederation solved some problems by creating at least a minimal amount of government at the time, but it also created some problem for our country because we did not have enough government. As time went on, the Founding Fathers found the issues with the Articles of Confederation, sought ways to solve those issues, and created the Constitution as a lasting governing document.

The Articles of Confederation served as the written document that established the functions of the national government of the United States after it declared independence from Great Britain. Although, it established a weak central government, it contributed to U.S principles because The Articles of Confederation were the basis of the first government of the United States of America. The Articles were essentially the “training wheels” of the government; it was a learning point to create something much greater which became the Constitution. The problems that this weak document created, combined with the Confederation government’s ineffectual response to Shays’ Rebellion, convinced national leaders that a more powerful central government was necessary.

The Articles of Confederation were a set of principles set forth that got our nation through the Revolutionary war. When the articles fell short at working effectively the state delegates attempted to

After fighting for our country against Great Britain in the American Revolution, the United States gained independence. We had to figure out how to govern ourselves since we would no longer be under the power of the monarch. The Articles of Confederation was the answer to our problems; even though it established a very weak central government and had many problems, it was our first constitution and our first step towards a solid government. Some of the problems with the Articles included that the Congress had no power to tax, no power to regulate commerce, no power to regulate domestic affairs, no power to enforce laws, and many more. The problems lead to troubles with the States which convinced the Continental Congress to create a convention of delegated people to revise them; this convention was called the Constitutional Convention. The Convention fixed these problems by throwing the Articles out altogether and creating a new Constitution.

The Articles of Confederation was the United State’s first constitution, it was written in an effort to unite the states after the American Revolution and served as a blueprint for the modern constitution. In order for the Articles to become official, they had to be approved by all thirteen colonies. Although Congress sent the Articles of Confederation to the states around the end of 1777 to become ratified, they were not officially adopted until March 1, 1781. Under these Articles, the states remained sovereign and independent, with Congress serving as the last resort on appeal of disputes. The American people feared a strong national government and as a result of this, the Articles of Confederation were specifically designed to be weak in the sense that each state maintains its own sovereignty and all rights to govern themselves, with the except of the rights exclusively granted to Congress. Since the Articles lacked many necessary components to keep a nation properly structured, they were eventually revised into the constitution we recognize today. Although, the Articles of Confederation seemed as though it only contained weaknesses, within the document, many strengths and accomplishments were made. Overall, the Articles of Confederation were proven to be both efficient and non-efficient during the time period they were in effect.

The Articles of Confederation was one of the first steps in the birth of the United States as we have it today. Though it was flawed in many ways it did help establish a foundation in which the United States Constitution could build it self and help shape the country. The main flaw in the Articles of confederation that were fixed with the writing of the Constitution was a weak federal government that could not levy taxes, manage trade, and enforce its’

The Articles of Confederation promoted the spirit and beliefs of liberty and equality. It provided for a loose confederation, which gave

The Articles of Confederation was the written document that established the functions of the national government of the United States after it declared independence from Great Britain. The Articles provided a system for the Continental Congress to direct the American Revolutionary War, conduct diplomacy with Europe and deal with territorial issues and Native American relations. The articles was supposed to be a legislative body serving as the nation’s executive rather than a parliament. It had full power over foreign affairs and questions of war and peace, it could decide disputes between the states, and it had authority over coinage, the postal service, and Indian affairs as well as the western territories. Nevertheless, the weakness of the government created by the Articles became a matter of concern for the American nation. The articles had no courts and no power to enforce its resolutions and ordinances. It also had no power to levy taxes and had to rely on requisitions from the states, which state legislatures could ignore. The articles didn’t have an executive or judicial branch of government, nor did it have an administrative head of government, and there were no federal courts (Shi &Tindall, 2013, P.239).

“The Constitution devotes the national domain to union, to justice, to defense, to welfare and to liberty” (Maier 154). This quote, stated by William Henry Seward, displays the strength and stability that the Constitution had over the nation, and the liberty and justice it supplied for all of its citizens. Although the Constitution and the Articles of Confederation have similarities, they have many differences, which proved that the Articles of Confederation were a weaker document in comparison. It can be said that the Articles were the “rough draft” to the final living document, which significantly influenced and “ruled” our government, as it still does today.

The Articles of Confederation was established in order to help shape America into the ideal country after America had separated from Great Britain to be independant. Although it failed in many aspects, it did achieve few things that resulted in the present day America known today.

The Articles of Confederation was the original constitution of the U.S. which was ratified in 1781. It was later replaced with the U.S. Constitution in 1789. The history of the Constitutional Convention involved people like James Madison, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, George Mason, and many more. The Framers of the Constitution were delegates, and helped draft the Constitution of the United States. The debates for this Constitution changing from the Articles of Confederation, took place from May to September

The Constitution replaced the articles of confederation in June of 1788. The founding fathers knew, by looking at historic documents from very prominent civilizations, what they did, and did not, want to add into the Constitution. The Constitution has been used for over two-hundred years to date, the longest constitution used in the world. There are many reasons that the Constitution was able to last for this long. Some of these reasons include the fact that it does not add in religious parts to it, it is strictly legal. Another reason may be that it was unprecedented, that is, having laws that the government could not break written down. The Constitution was also foolproof because it included a way for changing times to allow for a changing document. The amendment process is clearly detailed in the Constitution so that if ever needed, the document may be changed in order to suit the new ages.

The Articles of Confederation were approved by all the early American states in 1781, but by 1787, it was apparent that the Articles were insufficient for the young nation to operate on. A convention was formed with the priority job being to revise the Articles of Confederation; however, they only concluded that an entire new structure was needed to fulfill the demands of the growing country. The Constitution was then born. The Constitution provided the structure of government and power that was needed to achieve a strong union. This structure “saved” the American republic from collapse while under the Articles of Confederation.