Articles of Confederation Free Essays

The Articles of Confederation were the supreme law of the land from March 1871 until the United States Constitution was ratified by the ninth state, New Hampshire in 1888. Shortly after the beginning of the Revolutionary War, the Continental Congress formed a committee composed of one representative from each state to create a document that would provide for the a union of the thirteen independent states. The committee created the â€Å"Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union,† and submitted the document to the Congress has a whole. We will write a custom essay sample on Articles of Confederation or any similar topic only for you Order Now Congress debated provisions of the articles off and on for over a year and, in 1877, submitted a compromise draft to the states for consideration as â€Å"the only proposal that might afford ‘any tolerable prospect of general ratification†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (Johnson, 1966). Most of the states had ratified the Articles of Confederation by early 1779, but Maryland refused to do so until the question of Western Lands was settle. Once this was done, the Articles were ratified approximately two years late. The Articles of Confederation provided for a â€Å"firm league of friendship† (Axelrod 2000 Johnson 1966) between the states. They provided for a permanent national Congress that consisted of delegates from each of the thirteen states. The size of the delegation could be no less than two members and no more than seven members. Regardless of the size of the delegation, each state had only one vote. This provision provided the larger states with an opportunity for more representation in the Congress and its debates, but protected the smaller populated states from being dominated by the more populous states. Congress was given authority over foreign policy, declaring war against foreign nations, making peace, and maintaining an army and navy. Congress also managed Indian affairs, had to power to regulate coinage, was authorized to establish a post office, was permitted to borrow money and settle disputes between the states. Conspicuously absent was the authority for Congress to levy taxes. All powers not exclusively reserved for the Congress were retained by the states. All amendments to the Articles of Confederation had to be passed by the Congress unanimously (Johnson, 1966). The Articles of Confederation were written with a view toward straddling the fine line between the rights of individual states and the need for national control of some aspects of government. The United States was involved in a war against a country with a strong central monarchy. Therefore many of the people were concerned about giving any power to a central authority. In the case of the Articles of Confederation, the young nation erred in the direction of caution by giving too little power to the federal government. The Articles of Confederation did not provide for an executive branch nor a judicial branch. As a consequence, there was no federal power to enforce any of the laws or directives Congress passed. Since Congress lacked the power to levy taxes, it was unable to implement any programs or policies that required money without going into debt. These deficiencies became apparent almost immediately. One example was the lack of funds to pay for needed arms and supplies during the war with England. Instead of trying to address this issue with the Articles of Confederation, the Congress was had elected not to provide for federal taxation and Congress was reduced to borrowing money and relying on the states for the needed funding. By 1786, the limits of the Articles of Confederation were well-known. Congress met with the intention of revising the Articles into a more workable document. However, after debate it was determined that a better course than repairing the Articles of Confederation would be to write a new constitution. Congress authorized a Federal Constitutional Convention that was charged with writing this new document. The United States Constitution was passed by the Constitutional Convention if 1787 and was sent to the states for ratification. The new constitution addressed many of the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, while still bearing in mind the issue of states’ rights. This United States Constitution, although amended remains in effect today. Although ultimately the Articles of Confederation needed to be, and were replaced, they were by no means a failure. Rather, they provided a much needed compromise between those most concerned about the rights of individual states and the need for a strong federal government. Given the exigencies of the war with England, there wasn’t time and opportunity to write a more thorough, more complete constitution. The Articles of Confederation were sound in principle and provided a much needed bridge between the loosely aligned former colonies and the strong nation the United States became under the Constitution. References Axelrod, A. (2000). The Complete Idiot’s Guide to the American Revolution. Indianapolis: Alpha Books. Burns, J. (1981). The Vineyard of Liberty. New York: 1981. Ellis, J. (2000) Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. Jensen, M. (1970) The Articles of Confederation. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press.   Johnson, T. (1966). The Oxford Companion to American History. New York: Oxford University Press. How to cite Articles of Confederation, Papers Articles of Confederation Free Essays After many long and hard years of constant fighting, turmoil, and endless bloodshed, the thirteen colonies finally separated itself from England. The country of America now had a new problem at hand, setting up an effective government that would be much better than the oppressive rule of the British. The first step, of course, is setting up a constitution. We will write a custom essay sample on Articles of Confederation or any similar topic only for you Order Now The Articles of Confederation, ratified in 1781, was the first constitution of America. The Articles of Confederation was strong in that it gave the central government the powers to conduct foreign affairs, regulate western lands, and set up departments. This constitution was weak in that the central government was unable to impose taxes, control international trade, or enforce laws, and it was difficult to pass any law. Even though the Articles of Confederation had its strengths and weaknesses, its weaknesses outweighed its strengths rendering the document useless in governing the new country. The Articles of Confederation kept the central government weak due to the colonists’ fear of a tyrannical central government. Congress did not have the power to regulate international of interstate trade. This was a significant weakness. International trade is a crucial part to any country’s economy as it is a way to earn money. Congress’s inability to regulate international trade impedes it to raise money, crippling the whole country. Levying taxes was another power deprived from Congress. Not having the ability to tax its citizens is a major disadvantage to any government. Taxing is a form of raising money for several services. These weaknesses economically hampered the country. Also, Congress could not enforce any laws. It could only suggest and appeal laws. By not being able to enforce laws, there is no central authority whatsoever. Therefore, it’s almost as if each state was an independent country. This was evident during Shay’s Rebellion. This was a rebellion of poor people in Massachusetts. The central government was unable to step in due to its lack of power. Lastly, it was virtually impossible for Congress to pass any new laws. A vote of two thirds of the states was required to pass any law. This was nearly impossible due to the fact that there were only thirteen states. The Articles of Confederation set up an extremely weak central government. The central government was almost useless due to its lack of powers. The federal government did have some powers under the Articles of Confederation and were able to make some wise decisions. Congress had the ability to establish various departments. Departments of War, Treasury, Marine, and Foreign Affairs were established. This gives the government more organization. The departments established would eventually give rise to today’s cabinet departments. The federal government’s ability to conduct foreign affairs allowed it to sign the Treaty of Paris of 1783, which gave America more land. This treaty allowed America to expand its boundaries to the Mississippi River. Obviously, this was a great land gain that favored the country greatly. Congress then was able to develop an effective plan for surveying and selling the land it got from the treaty. Congress passes the Land and Northwest Ordinances which split up the land. This was another good decision Congress was able to make under the Articles of Confederation. Congress did have some powers which allowed it to make wise decisions. The Articles of Confederation was the very first constitution that ruled the United States. It was strongly influenced by the time spent by the colonies under British rule. Because the crown had been so tyrannical, the new country did not want another abusive central government. They looked to avoid this by hardly giving the federal government any power. Most of the power was given to the states. The document had its strengths and weaknesses, but overall, it was a failure. The weaknesses outweighed its little strengths. The Americans learned from this mistake and abandoned this constitution. They began work on a new and improved constitution. How to cite Articles of Confederation, Essay examples