Preview

Why Is The Constitution Weak

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
347 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Why Is The Constitution Weak
Everyone in the government involved had different ideas and beliefs and nobody could take it away from them. After the Americas colonies won their independence from England, the thirteen colonies became the thirteen states and they created a system called the Articles of Confederation which the state government had the most power making the national government very weak. The Founding Fathers knew this system was very weak and they wanted to do another system, called the Constitution who, at the end, made the national a very strong government. The Constitution divided powers by: the national and state governments. The national government is the political organization that is in place to maintain control in a nation. Some ideas that national

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Without the decisions the government made together we would've never came into an equal equality, without solving the world’s biggest problems. In the summer of 1787 , fifty five delegates representing twelve of the thirteen states met in philadelphia to fix the national gov’t. The problem was that the government under the articles of confederation, the challenge was to create a strong central government without letting anyone get too much power. How did the Constitution Guard against Tyranny? In further reading you will see how they divided the powers that were given to them to help the nation and states around the world, that fills up the world’s problems.…

    • 630 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The thirteen American colonies required a functioning government after the Revolutionary War. The Founding Fathers’ John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and George Washington wrote up the first attempt at a government called The Articles of Confederation. The Articles of Confederation gave majority power to the states, this weakened the newly created government system. The Articles of Confederation replaced the U.S. Constitution because there needed to be a checks and balance system between the U.S. Government and its states by ensuring neither party had majority power.…

    • 92 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    After the American Revolution had ended in 1783, the states were left in a vulnerable position. Although the states had won the war and gained their independence, there was still a huge war deficit, fear of invasion from England or other countries like France or Spain, a virtually non-existent army of 600 men, no strong trade route to bring in money, Indian hostilities and a very weak economy. The majority of Americans did not want a national government, they were afraid to establish one after fighting a long war to gain independence from England. Initially the Articles of Confederation had served as a united agreement between the states but gave each independent state the right to govern…

    • 765 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Before the federal system government, there was an article of confederation (1776-1787), which was designed to keep more power in the states government, and less power in the national government. The article of confederation had much weakness, which calls for a change in the government system. The federal government system which is also known as “Federalism” is a division of power between a central government and state/regional government, and the division of powers are as follow; delegated powers (enumerated), which is expressly given to the national government; reserved powers, which reside in the state; and the concurrent powers granted to both national and state government. The balance and boundaries between the federal government and state…

    • 728 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    After America declared their independence from Britain in 1776 they had no governance system. One year after the Declaration of Independence was signed, and America gained their freedom the Articles of Confederation was signed and served as the governance for the nation. There were weaknesses in the articles such as the inability of the natural government to implement foreign or domestic policy, to tax, or regulate trade, and due to these weaknesses in 1778 the Constitution was the replacement of the Articles. The articles simply did not allow enough power to the national government, and because the constitution maintained state power it also gave the central government power over commerce and foreign policies. During this time, Britain was…

    • 417 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Aoc vs the Constitution

    • 825 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Articles of Confederation were ratified in 1781. The goal of the Articles was to balance the need for national coordination of the War of Independence with the fear that centralized political power was a threat to liberty of the people. The Articles stated that the new national government was to be a "perpetual union." The Articles gave the thirteen states their individual "sovereignty, freedom and independence." Under the Articles the national government had a one house Congress, where each state cast one vote. There was no president and no judiciary. Major decisions needed the approval of nine states to be passed. There were only a few powers given to the national government which were to declare war, conduct foreign affairs, and make treaties with other governments. Congress did not have financial resources. It did not have the power to levy taxes or to regulate commerce. Revenue came from contributions from the states and in order to amend an Article you needed a unanimous decision from the states. This made it hard to amend or to change anything. The Articles basically made it impossible to have a national government on a large scale.…

    • 825 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    States had much more power at their feet than ever before. An example of this was that the states had a great deal of control over politics. One such power was that every colony or state was allowed one vote in Congress (93). Furthermore, the colonies needed a united vote if any amendments were to be made to the Articles of Confederation (Davis). Because there was no national court system under the Confederation, the states resolved controversies amongst themselves. Moreover, the excess power that the Articles placed on the states was with the enforcement of laws; the states had the freedom to enforce any laws they saw fit. Giving states too much power in politics led to chaos that the national government absolutely had no control over (Johnson). Another example of the disarray of domestic affairs was the failure of a successful military. During the American Revolution, the Continental Army was moderate, but once the war was won, the military was largely demobilized (Alden 109). Only a small national force protected the country. The United States’ dream was to build a unified war-making regime, but it was a complete failure, especially after the Revolution (111). America’s dream went spiraling down until there was no hope of a centralized army. The Articles of Confederation government continued…

    • 1227 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Now they needed a government that was set up for the people by the people and came up with the ugly constitution AKA The Articles of Confederation which were terrible and were gone sooner than you can say BANANA. After that we made The Constitution which has been here ever since it was created, having…

    • 548 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The framers of the United States constitution ultimately decided to give more power to the federal government rather than the state governments. There are some problems with the Articles of Confederation,I will explain the federal government and the state government.…

    • 546 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    After signing the Declaration of Independence in 1776, the thirteen former American colonies had an identity crisis. It was one thing to declare independence and it was another to figure out exactly what you were once you declared it. At the time, the governing body was the continental congress. In 1777, this congress took an important first step to untie the former colonies by drafting the Articles of Confederation. They decided there needed to be some organization at the center of the colonies, but it couldn't be too strong; therefore, they created a confederation of states, in which individuals from the different states would be diplomats.…

    • 509 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The government was set up under the Articles of Confederation, America’s first constitution. The founders were so afraid of a strong central government that they gave all power to the states, rather than set up an over-seeing national government. The Revolution was fought to get away from an overbearing and unfair ruler, so it is understandable why they wouldn’t want another monarchy to take over. The problem was that the Articles of Confederation gave little to no power at all to their national government, causing distress and non-compliance between the states. The Articles of Confederation denied the government the ability to take care of the states and the union. An influential philosopher at the time, Hobbes, believes that it is the sole purpose of the national government to enforce peace and laws; thus making life, liberty, and the pursuit of property possible. Another influential philosopher at the time, Locke, also believes that a central government is necessary to promote public good, to protect property and promote…

    • 871 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    It had been the main source of conflict between the colonies and Great Britain and it continued during the formation of the Constitution. Madison attempt to answer the question of how could both the national and state government be sovereign and where did ultimate sovereignty fall. He concluded it came from the bottom, the people, and flowed up. The Constitution distributed powers between the national and state governments. The federal government had the power to tax, regulate commerce, and pass laws that were necessary and proper. States no longer retained every power, however the Constitution recognized their separated existence and allowed them to pass their own laws. (American History,…

    • 874 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Articles of Confederation that had been drafted in 1777 gave the majority of power to the states. The National government was weak and unable to sustain itself. It did not even possess the ability to resolve differences between state legislature and interstate commerce. When the Articles of Confederation were written those that drafted it purposely gave majority power to the states as they feared a powerful central government. The problem was by severely limiting the central government’s power they were not able to create the union in which they had intended. Instead they had created a number of small self-ruled countries. America was in need of a refined plan of governance.…

    • 375 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    American federalism offers a solution to fears that the people will only be ruled by majorities from different regions that contained different interests and values. In the past America was run by the Articles of Confederation but it was not strong enough to hold the nation together. Under the loose Articles of Confederation, the national and state government was unable to maintain order. After the Revolution, Americans mounted debt from purchasing goods from other countries. To solve this problem the states would tax their citizens and this caused many people to go into bankruptcy. When Shay’s Rebellion happened people started realizing that by having a less powerful national government, it created many problems within the states and it also demonstrated the importance to maintain domestic order. The framers of the constitution created a federal government that replaced the weak confederation with a more powerful national government.…

    • 262 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Atricles of Confederation

    • 404 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Under the Articles of Confederation, states often argued amongst themselves. They also refused to financially support the national government. The national government was powerless to enforce any acts it did pass. Some states began making agreements with foreign governments. Most had their own military. Each state printed its own money. There was no stable…

    • 404 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays