Pros And Cons Of The Articles Of Confederation

The United States of America took the first step towards a democratic country by declaring independence from Great Britain. Since it's separation, the Second Continental Congress, a convention of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies, established a document known as the Articles of Confederation. The Articles set a precedent for the U.S. Constitution, the supreme law of the land that stands even today. After the United States became an independent country, people feared the build up of power in the hands of a central government, much like when they were in the hands of Great Britain. The Articles of Confederation were created to secure freedom, sovereignty, and independence of the newly found nation. Ratified in 1781, the Articles gave the
United States its name and its sense of freedom. To prevent a tyranny, delegates decided to weaken the central government and give the majority of power to individual states. The government and only the government, however, was allowed to declare wars, whereas the individual states had no standing armies and had no right to engage in wars. The Articles of Confederation was weak in terms of governmental power. There was only a unicameral legislature; thus no separation of powers or checks and balances existed. The authority of Congress and the executive branch(the president) was vastly diminished. To change the Articles, unanimous approval of all thirteen states was required, and to pass laws, 9 out of 13 states had to approve, both of which deemed near impossible. The national government did not have power over state laws nor could it tax its citizens, making it difficult to reduce the national debt. Without the ability to tax, inflation occurred. Farmers became outraged because their produce would not sell and they had no source of income to pay off their debts, usually mortgage. This led to Shay's Rebellion, a revolt of farmers, which made Congress realize that the Articles of Confederation were failing and that they needed a more effective form of government. Due to the many failures of the Articles of Confederation, the U.S.
Constitution was enacted to replace it on 1788. Sovereignty of states no longer existed as the Constitution became the supreme law of the land that everyone had to abide by. The only thing that the Constitution had in common with the Articles of Confederation was that they were written by the same people, the same delegates that formed the Second Continental Congress. The fear of tyranny no longer overcame the Framers of the Constitution as they established a strong central government. There were three branches of government: legislative, executive, and judiciary, with a system of checks and balances so that one branch cannot accumulate power. There was also a bicameral legislature: the House of Representatives and the Senate. Whereas the Articles could only request states to pay taxes, Constitution had the right to levy taxes. There was also a court system created to handle disputes. Congress became from powerless to a very important part of government as it gained rights to regulate trade/commerce and raise an army. Prior to the Constitution, each state received 1 vote, but Constitution changed that so that Senate received 2 votes and the number of votes the House of Representatives received were based on the population of that state. Unanimous consent was now required to ratify new laws, and amendment of the Constitution required the consent of three-fourths of all states. The Articles of Confederation were also much less organized in that states were given the right to coin money, which caused problems when currency from one state mixed with that of another. The Constitution fixed this issue so that only United States had the right to coin money. Another example of the disorganization of the Articles was that the term to be in legislative office was only one year, but with the Constitution, it was 2 years for Representatives and 6 years for Senates. Members were now elected by popular vote,
and senators appointed by state legislatures, as before, only state legislatures had the right to appoint members. In conclusion, the Articles of Confederation failed in providing a strong government for the newly formed United States of America. Its failures led to the development of the U.S. Constitution as the dominant form of government, one that stands even today.