When the United States first gained their independence from Britain they needed to create a strong government for their colonies. The United States created their first government called the Articles of Confederation. The Articles came with many problems like no power to tax, no power to enforce the law, or regulate commerce. 10 years after having a weak government, they believed that a new type of government need to be created in order to become a strong government. They came up with the Constitution.
A confederation is a loose association, rather than a firm union, of states. The Articles of Confederation set up a “firm league of friendship” among the 13 states. Each state was to have equal powers and in most ways was to be independent of the other states. The central, or national, government had very limited powers. The majority of people in the 13 states feared that a strong central government, such as the one they were fighting, might limit the freedom of the separate states. As a result, under the Articals of Cofederation, the national government consisted of a lawmaking body called Congress.
To the population, war is when you are told what to fight for, and a revolution is when you decide for yourself. On April 19, 1775 was the day that America had decided for itself that we needed to be independent, the start of the American Revolution. The American revolution was over in about eight years. After the war Americans had decided to turn its focus inward and decide on what government they wanted and what America as a country would become. That is how the articles of confederation came to be on March 1, 1781 and of course like everything it had it’s pros, cons and results.
The Public's opinion of the Constitution was divided into two separate groups known as the Federalists and the Antifederalists. Many of not all Federalists were wealthy and well educated with leaders like George Washington and Benjamin Franklin. They were people who advocated a proposal or theory that of an orderly, efficient government could protect their economic status. The Federalists were also very well organized, also in many of the states they were often in control of the elections of ratifying
The Articles of Confederation were a document seen as the “first” constitution of the United States. This document granted the new national government power to control the military, declare war, and create treaties between the states. However, the Articles had holes in it considering the government did not have the power to tax, create laws without at least nine states’ approval, or change the Articles of Confederation without a unanimous vote. This means that the country soon fell into debt and petty arguments between state, the new government had no control. It was time for a change.
The Constitution gave Americans the freedom and rights that have become the hallmark of the country. It organized the foundations of America that would eventually evolve to become one of the most powerful and influential nations in the
New York and Virginia, two major states with a massive impact, were hesitant to ratify. These states were filled with Anti-Federalist, who feared strong central government, as well as the president becoming dictator or king. In order to persuade the Anti-Federalists, Alexander Hamilton and John Jay created the Federalists Papers. Then finally, enough states had ratified for the Constitution to go in effect, although Virginia, New York, North Carolina, and Rhode Island had not yet ratified. The Anti-Federalists felt that the Constitution needed a Bill of Rights to protect personal freedoms.
The Articles of Confederation had many problems and therefore it made the government weak. One of may problems was that under the Articles Of Confederation was that there was no executive branch, and so nobody could enforce or carry out laws made by Congress. Another problem was that each state only had one vote in Congress. When each state only had one vote states that had small populations had the same amount as a large state.
The Articles of Confederation provided the United States with a predominantly ineffective government that could not deal with problems at home and abroad. The country was unable to regulate commerce and effectively deal with foreign nations from 1781 to 1789. Although there were some advantages to the first constitution, the issues caused by the document greatly outweighed the benefits. The Articles of Confederation limited America’s ability to deal problems within its own borders and with foreign nations.
These people are known as federalists and antifederalists. The federalists are the people that support the constitution. These people believe that the constitution is the best way for the country to prosper. It is the only way to make sure this country stays the way it is. On the other side of the argument are the anti-federalists.
The Constitution was a document that was written by our Founding Fathers. It defines what our government is and what it does. It is the basic blueprint for all the laws in the country and it provides the three branches of the U.S government the power it needs to rule this nation effectively. But the Constitution wasn’t always how it is now, it used to be called the Articles of Confederation and it had many problems that are no longer present in our current Constitution.
Even though the Articles of Confederation formed a poor government, to not be able to collect taxes, it had other weaknesses too. The government had no national court
The United States Constitution was created to define the powers and limitations of the government. It replaced the Articles of the Confederation, and was ratified by all 13 states in 1787 (American Government, n.d.). The ratification of the Constitution was not without opposition, and the government was split into two groups: federalists, and anti-federalists. The federalist group believed that a national governing body, ruled by the elite class was necessary. Antifederalists, on the other hand, believed that state governments should have more say, and that the government should be run by ordinary people (American Government, n.d.).
The American government that we know today, had many troubles when it first came together when the Constitution was first ratified in 1788. There had been many failed attempts at creating a new and successful government, such as the Articles of Confederation the first plan for the new American government. This proved to be very unsuccessful because the states held all federal power, while the national government had very little. In order to please both the Federalists and the Anti-Federalist, each party agreed to the Constitution with the addition of the Bill of Rights. Documents like the Virginia Declaration of Rights, the Declaration of Independence, and the above documents are heavily influenced by the writings of John Locke, Baron de Montesquieu,
On September 17, 1787, The Philadelphia Convention emitted their own new constitution to the states for ratification. Instead, The Federalist profoundly accepted the Constitution for several reasons, which included that this new constitution allowed for higher and further central government, that was formerly undermined under the Articles of Confederation. In the other hand, The Anti-Federalist, did not want a authoritative and dominant central government, but instead, powerful state governments; in response to the new constitution, many of the Anti-Federalists began writing different essays and creating pamphlets as a means of arguing against it. In retaliation to the Anti-Federalists experiment at earning states to not rarify the Constitution, many federalists advanced a group of essays known as the Federalist Papers, which argued for the ratification of the new law system.