The Articles of Confederation
comparative Essay
996 words
A few hundred years ago, the United States first Constitution, the Articles of Confederation, was created. This Constitution created a weak central government in order to give the people the rights that they deserve. This plan of government, however, proved to be too weak and it could not control the people or pay the debts that the country had acquired from the Revolutionary War. One of the many problems of the Articles of Confederation was that it had no power to collect taxes(wikipedia.org). This made the new nation go in huge debt because it had no way of paying the army for their services in the Revolutionary War. The United States did receive some money from neighboring countries in order to pay of the debt and they had also gotten a few pence from the states, but this was insufficient and they still could not pay their debt. Another problem of the Articles of Confederation was that it could not enforce its laws and make the states pay the money that they promised the government. One of the many effects that this problem made was Shays' Rebellion. This rebellion was caused by the taxes that the government made. It stated that everybody must pay for the taxes or they would have their land taken away from them and be sent to jail. This angered the farmers since they could not pay the taxes, and so, this rebellion was formed. In order to prevent any further outbreaks from occurring, our Founding Fathers got together to form a convention, which was called the Constitutional Convention. This convention was to be held to fix the government and stop other occurrences, such as Shays' Rebellion, from ever happening again. When the Founding Fathers went to Philladelphia, they quickly decided that their gov... ... middle of paper ... ...ticles of Confederation was the first constitution of the United States. A few years later, the Founding Fathers found out that the Articles weren't working as they had in mind and they then went to Philladelphia to revise it. When they go there, there were many disagreements about slavery and representation. To stop these arguments, the Connecticut and the Three-fifths Compromise was made. Then, all but Virginia and Washington agreed to ratify the Constitution because it had no Bill of Rights. To fix this problem, James Madison then promised to create a Bill of Rights to protect the people and ensure that there new government would never again turn into one like Great Britain's. Works Cited The Articles of Confederation, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Articles_of_Confederation The U.S. Constitution, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Constitution
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the united states first constitution, the articles of confederation, created a weak central government to give the people the rights that they deserve, but this plan of government proved to be too weak.
- Explains that the articles of confederation had no power to collect taxes, which made the new nation go in huge debt. the shays' rebellion was caused by the government's taxes.
- Explains that the founding fathers formed a convention to fix the government and stop other occurrences, such as shays' rebellion, from happening again.
- Explains that connecticut created a compromise called the great or conneticut compromise, and the three-fifths compromise to solve the issue of slavery.
- Explains that the founding fathers argued over whether to add the bill of rights to the constitution. the federalists believed in a strong central government, while the antifederalists wanted more power.
- Concludes that the articles of confederation was the first constitution of the united states.
Related
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- Problems with the Articles of Confederationexplanatory essayProblems with the Articles of Confederation 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. Unfortunately for the National Government, Congress did not have any power to collect taxes from people in each individual state.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the articles of confederation were a good idea to set standards for america, but they had major problems that needed to be solved in order for the nation to become strong.
- Explains that the us became vulnerable to attacks when the national government couldn't raise an army, since every state had their own currency, placing taxes on each other's goods. the treaty of paris was not enforced, and the british occupied the northwest territory.
- Explains that not having an army to protect us goods was extremely risky with trading. while the us was having troubles protecting their goods, other countries were having trouble keeping economy in their own country from declining.
- Opines that a federal court system would have helped resolve disputes between individual states. if all states followed the same rules, they would be under one ruler.
- Explains that the constitution gave the federal government the ability to tax states and put tariffs on goods to collect money.
857 wordsRead More - Articles Of Confederationanalytical essaySoon after the Revolutionary War in America, a new government was started when the Articles of Confederation were adopted by the Continental Congress. The Articles set up a democratic government that gave the States the power to make their own laws and to enforce them. However, the Articles were ineffective and failed to provide a strong government. During this critical period in the history of the United States, pandemonium and anarchy were growing due to: controlled public, nothing in the Articles that gave Congress the power to enforce laws, no solid monetary system, and also the country lacked unity and strength
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the articles of confederation set up a democratic government that gave the states the power to make their own laws and to enforce them, but were ineffective.
- Explains that the articles were ineffective because congress only had the power to recommend actions to the states. regionalism pitted one state against another, which decreased the sense of unity in the country.
- Analyzes how the articles failed to provide a solid monetary system to ensure taxes would be paid or to protect commerce.
- Explains that the articles were causing the united states to fall apart because the country would also require leadership. without a national court system, laws that kept the nation secure could not be made or enforced.
- Explains that the articles of confederation provided the united states with an ineffective form of government from 1781 to 1789.
730 wordsRead More - Has the U.S. Lived up to its Founding Principles?opinionated essayA constitution is the system of fundamental principles according to which a nation is governed. Our founding fathers created the US Constitution to set specific standards for our country. We must ask ourselves why our founding fathers created the Constitution in the first place. America revolted against the British due to their monarchy form of government. After the American Revolution, each of the original 13 colonies operated under its own rules of government. Most states were against any form of centralized rule from the government. They feared that what happened in England would happen again. They decided to write the Articles of Confederation, which was ratified in 1781. It was not effective and it led to many problems. The central government could not regulate commerce between states, deal with foreign governments or settle disputes. The country was falling apart at its seams. The central government could not provide assistance to the state because there wasn’t a central army. When they realized that the Articles of Confederation was not up to par, they held a convention, known as the Constitutional Convention of 1787. As a result of t...
In this essay, the author
- Opines that the united states is not living up to its founding principles.
- Explains that the us constitution is the system of fundamental principles according to which a nation is governed. america revolted against the british due to their monarchy form of government.
- Explains that the united states democracy follows six principles, such as checks and balances, separation of powers, people have the right to change or do away with or form a new government, and everyone is equal under the law.
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- Concludes that america isn't living up to its founding principles. they admit that we have progressed in every area of what this country was founded for.
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1300 wordsRead More - The Ratification of the Constitutionexplanatory essayIn 1787, the Constitution was created to replace the Articles of Confederation, because it was felt that the Articles weren’t sufficient for running the country. However, the Constitution was not very well liked by everyone .
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the constitution was created to replace the articles of confederation because it was felt that they weren't sufficient for running the country. anti-federalists believed that republican government could work on a national scale.
- Explains that the anti-federalists believed in weak central and strong state governments, as the way it was in the articles of confederation.
- Explains that the constitution went through, and in the long run, did the country good.
390 wordsRead More - The Articles of Confederation was the first government of the United States. The Articles had created a very weak national government. At the time the Articles were approved, they had served the will of the people. Americans had just fought a war to get freedom from a great national authority--King George III (Patterson 34). But after this government was put to use, it was evident that it was not going to keep peace between the states. The conflicts got so frequent and malicious that George Washington wondered if the “United” States should be called a Union (Patterson 35). Shays’ Rebellion finally made it evident to the public that the government needed a change.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the articles of confederation was the first government of the united states. they created a weak national government, but the conflicts became frequent and malicious.
- Explains that a group of men with political power and status, an elite by definition, decided the solution to the problem of government was to have men evaluate the articles and make the proper changes.
- Explains that the first step of the constitution was undemocratic. no popular vote was taken either directly or indirectly on the proposition to approve a convention.
- Explains that the next step of the convention was more democratic, in that there were delegates sent to philadelphia by the state legislatures.
- Explains that james madison drew up the virginia plan before the convention in philadelphia began. since this idea was the exact opposite of what congress had planned for them to do, the framers kept the proceedings a secret.
- Explains that the virginia plan had to be modified since it gave more representation and power to the larger states. the smaller states would not be willing to ratify a constitution that gave them little representation.
- Explains that the new jersey plan was proposed to give the large and small states equal representation in the legislature. the constitution decided this matter in a democratic way.
- Explains that madison and virginia were strong proponents of equal representation of large and smaller states in the second chamber. the voting of the delegates resulted in a tie.
- Explains that the framers were tired of being in the debates and conflicts over what would go into the new constitution. some issues in it were left flexible to interpretation and some matters were just completely overlooked.
- Analyzes how charles beard wrote that the first object of government was to protect the men’s right of property. the framers wanted the constitution to be ratified because it would directly benefit them and their wealth.
- Analyzes how the delegates made their plan more likely to be ratified by agreeing to a second convention to make the bill of rights (roche 26), which was not part of their original plan.
- Analyzes how the framers' in philadelphia were more democratic than undemocratic, since the fate of the constitution was ultimately in the hands of states that were influenced by public opinion.
- Describes the works of charles a. beard, alan j. cigler, and burdett a loomis in american politics.
1373 wordsRead More - The Articles of Confederation and The Constitutionexplanatory essayIn the history of the United States of America, our government has been defined by two very important documents. Reflecting on all governments of the past, they laid forth an impressive jumble of ideas that would lead the way to where we are today. These two documents are the Article of Confederation and the U.S Constitution. These two documents of precedent are both similar and unique, each with its own pros and cons, and neither being perfect. Both these documents addressed the prominent vital in national vs. state sovereignty, legislative selection process, and executive authority.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the article of confederation created a government that is known as the confederate drafted during the year 1776.
- Explains that the article of confederation was designed to be a guideline for the interactions between the states and the federal government. it addressed executive authority by giving congress the power to inaugurate laws, but fails any means of enforcing them.
- Explains how the u.s constitution addressed national vs. state sovereignty by delegates giving enumerated powers to the national government while reserving other powers.
- Explains that the article of confederation and the u.s constitution are similar and unique, each with its own pros and cons and neither being perfect.
- Explains how the u.s constitution addressed legislative selection process and executive authority. the debate between state power and central or national power continued to occupy politicians throughout the nation.
1248 wordsRead More - Essay On The Articles Of Confederationexplanatory essayThe document “The Articles of Confederation Stress the Rights of States, 1781” is a section of a written document that acted as the first constitution of the United States of America. The Articles of Confederation established the beginning foundation of the United States of America and how citizens were to act within the newly independent country. The Articles of Confederation were written in 1777, after America declared full independence from Great Britain, and ratified in 1781. A committee of the continental congress wrote the Articles of Confederation.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the articles of confederation stressed the rights of states, 1781, which acted as the first constitution of the united states of america.
- Explains that the articles of confederation were written to unify and establish a common government in the thirteen states of new hampshire, massachusetts, rhode island, connecticut, new york, nj, pennsylvania, delaware, maryland, virginia, north carolina, and georgia.
- Explains that the articles of confederation established individual state power and limited national government. states retained sovereignty, freedom, and independence.
- Explains that many delegates agreed with the original proposal of the articles of confederation, but many strongly opposed it.
- Explains that the articles of confederation gave purpose to central government at a time when rhyme and reason were not clearly established in america.
528 wordsRead More - Furthermore, America 's first constitution, The Articles of Confederation was a document that established the first governmental structure after the American Revolution. On November 15, 1777, the Articles of confederation were approved. This was a time when the nation was a loose confederation of states, each operating like independent countries. After the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, the thirteen American colonies needed a government to replace the British system they were attempting to overthrow. The articles of confederation established “a firm league of friendship” among the states. Each state kept “its sovereignty, freedom, and independence , and every power, jurisdiction, and right...not...expressly delegated to the United States, in congress assembled” The states came together “for their common defense, the security of their liberties, and their mutual and
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the u.s. constitution is a living document, it never gets old, and it provides america with its own identity.
- Explains that america's first constitution, the articles of confederation, established the first governmental structure after the american revolution.
- Analyzes how george washington's frustration with the articles of confederation was reflected in his quote, "we are one nation today and 13 tomorrow."
821 wordsRead More - Strengths And Weaknesses Of The Articles Of Confederationexplanatory essayThe Articles of Confederation was a weak document that bound 13 states (DE, PA, NH, MA, NY, NJ, GA, SC, NC, RI, CT, VA, MD) with unsatisfying outcomes from 1777 to 1781. Even though the Articles of Confederation was created for such efficient purpose as to increase cooperations among the colonies, it did not show its efficiency due to the absence of a federal body to govern all 13 colonies. Without congressional power, Congress had no power to levy or collect taxes and this resulted to the shortage of government money. Furthermore, the Congress was too weak to enforce its laws that the government had to depend on the colonies for the enforcement of law. These detrimental consequences provoked Shay and triggered Shay’s Rebellion. Ultimately,
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the articles of confederation was a weak document that bound 13 states with unsatisfying outcomes from 1777 to 1781. without congressional power, congress had no power to levy or collect taxes.
155 wordsRead More - Articles Of Confederation: An Effective Form Of Governmentopinionated essayThe Articles of Confederation were not an effective form of government. Articles of Confederation were thought to of been designed to create a more efficient government. Conversely, it had done just the opposite of what the people had wanted it to do and with that the Articles of Confederation lead on a path to a pathetic and incompetent government. There were several issues that came about with the Articles; two significant issues with the Articles that caused a pathetic and incompetent government were political and economic issues.
In this essay, the author
- Opines that the articles of confederation were not an effective form of government and led to a pathetic and incompetent government.
- Explains that the articles of confederation claimed to be able to produce and innovate, even though they were stuck at times due to political problems.
146 wordsRead More