Pros And Cons Of The Articles Of Confederation

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The Articles of Confederation were drafted between 1776 and 1777 by the Continental Congress because they felt it was necessary to legitimize some of the things they had done without input from the people or other power (Schultz, 2009). In 1778, the document was presented to the states for approval, but only eight states agreed at that time. However, all thirteen states reached an agreement and accepted the Articles of Confederation by 1781. John Dickinson was the main author of the Articles of Confederation. The Articles provided the states with independence, but utilized the central government as a mediator of sorts (Schultz, 2009). The Continental Congress were responsible for five powers according to the Articles of Confederation which included: declaring war and making peace, make international treaties, control Indian affairs in the west, establish a currency, and create and maintain the postal service (Schultz, 2009, pg. 120). Whereas, the states were responsible for levying taxes and regulating commerce. However, this responsibility was a great one with everlasting effects. Ultimately, these two areas are fundamentally necessary to fund a war. If the states decisions produced lack of economical backing, the federal government was unable to assist them based on the Articles of Confederation. …show more content…

First, the Articles created laws which regulated the power of the government. Secondly, a national citizenship was created boosting equal rights for its members. However, the flaws and weaknesses overshadowed the achievements. There were three stand outs. First was the inability to raise funds. The new nation was seriously in debt because of the war, and Congress was unable to levy taxes to decrease debt because that was a state power. Subsequently, the debt hindered the ability to find

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