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Compare And Contrast Articles Of Confederation Vs Constitution

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“Let our government be like that of the solar system. Let the general government be like the sun and the states the planets, repelled yet attracted, and the whole moving regularly and harmoniously in several orbits.” said John Dickinson, a Delaware Delegate in 1787 (constitutionfacts.com). The United States has a government that, for the most part, flows smoothly. However, our governing documents have not always been so harmonious. The Articles of Confederation, created and ratified in 1781 during the Revolutionary War, was the first basis for the United States of America’s central government. This was a shaky set of laws, yet it evolved into The Constitution of the United States of America. Though The Constitution was created from the Articles of Confederation, there were many differences. Three of these are differences in powers, in purposes, and in effects.
The Articles of Confederation, in contrast to the Constitution, deprived Congress of the most basic opportunities. Congress could maintain an army, conduct foreign affairs, declare a war, coin money, and establish post offices. However, Congress could not tax the people, elect a president of the central government, or enforce laws (congressforkids.net). This …show more content…

They showed that the Articles were not the best document for our country to be founded upon. Powers in our government need to be divided to prevent confusion and perhaps dictatorship. The purpose of a document is very important to the final effect of the document, as shown by the Articles of Confederation. Finally, the effects of the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution are very different. They have shown us, as United States citizens, that every country must go through changes and no nation is perfect from the start. Thanks to the revision of the Articles of Confederation that evolved into the Constitution, our country is like that of

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