Articles Of Confederation Dbq

The primary purpose of the Articles of Confederation was to create an alliance among the states where each was deemed independent, allowing the federal government to only have power over common defense, security of liberties, and general welfare of citizens. Under the Articles, problems of decentralization developed that separated Congress from the powers that allowed it to govern the states appropriately. Decentralization is the process of redistributing or dispersing functions, powers, or things away from a central location or authority. The United States Constitution was put into place to address the issues of decentralization that the Articles of Confederation had instituted prior to the Revolutionary War that left the national government
The Ordinance of 1785 arranged for the division of the western territory into seven ranges townships, completed by surveyors representing each state, under the supervision of the geographer of the United States. The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 also became a fundamental document in American history. The purpose was to determine the nature of government and to provide it with the largely unsettled lands west of the Appalachian Mountains and north of the Ohio River, and also ensured that basic American freedoms extended westward. By the year 1786, the new country was in serious economic distress, and states were battling over boundary lines and tariffs. An economic depression left not only states in shambles, but also many farmers and merchants in debt as well. Shays’ rebellion was a revolt led by Daniel Shay involving angry farmers in Massachusetts, embodying the country’s chaos. There was a great fear of the rebellion spreading throughout the states without them having an army to put it down. Though the state’s militia eventually put the rebellion to rest, it highlighted the inability of the central government to maintain law and order. Marking the beginning of the race to improve the aspects of the Articles of Confederation that the government had very little control over, Shays’ Rebellion also reminded the government that it was
The Constitution was established on the principals of popular sovereignty, limited government, separation of powers, checks and balances, and federalism. Popular sovereignty allowed people to have the power to sustain the government through the representatives they elected. A limited government was set up to have tough restrictions on its powers and abilities. With the separation of powers came the development of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government, which also led to the installment of the checks and balances system, keeping the powers equal. Federalism divided the power between federal and local governments. The government now had power to levy taxes, regulate trade, and raise an army. The House and Senate were home to the representation of the states, House based on population and Senate maintained equal representation. With majority vote out of both houses of representatives, plus one, the signature of the president, bills became laws. Laws were proposed by Congress or state and ratified by the states