Articles Of Confederation Dbq Essay

When the thirteen colonies declared their independence from Britain, they no longer had a government or authority to rule. So, the Articles of Confederation was created and became the first constitution to govern the United States. This plan was created in order to organize the nation and fight the Revolutionary War for independence. The Articles of Confederation had many weaknesses such as the government only had one branch that only created laws and did not have branches to execute, interpret, or enforce the laws. As a result, the Confederation failed the nation and it was abolished then a new constitution was created entitled the U.S Constitution. When the Constitution was sent to the state legislatures for ratification, there was disagreement. The delegates began to separate into two groups: the people that approved it were known as Federalists and the opposing side were known as the Anti-Federalists. One of the

84 wrote, “For why declare that things shall not be done which there is no power to do? Why for instance, should it be said, that the liberty of the press shall not be restrained, when no power is given by which restrictions may be imposed?” This quote states that they will limit the government so that it could not impose on people’s rights. Alexander Hamilton argues that by limiting the government this makes the bill of rights redundant. In the Anti-Federalist papers, “Foreign Wars, Civil Wars, and Indian Wars—Three Bugbears” stated that “as long as we can preserve our unalienable rights, we are in safety”. This reference highlights the importance of individual rights, this topic was essential to the Anti-Federalists who wanted to make sure they were protected, and it was the reason why they truly support the Bill of Rights. Overall, despite their differences, the Federalists and Anti-Federalists worked in cooperation and shared their diverse point of views created a significant impact on the current government and in the