preview

Articles Of Confederation Dbq

Decent Essays

The Articles of Confederation served as the written document that established the functions of the national government of the United States after it declared independence from Great Britain. Although, it established a weak central government, it contributed to U.S principles because The Articles of Confederation were the basis of the first government of the United States of America. The Articles were essentially the “training wheels” of the government; it was a learning point to create something much greater which became the Constitution. The problems that this weak document created, combined with the Confederation government’s ineffectual response to Shays’ Rebellion, convinced national leaders that a more powerful central government was necessary. …show more content…

The Articles was a watershed event since it was a document that showed that the newly formed United States was going to have state and federal governments. The Articles was not a complete failure since other things were able to grow from its mistakes. It got the colonies through the Revolutionary War and prepared the country for a robust and flexible form of government. The country would not have been ready for a strong government in 1776. Despite the chaos they created, especially as an obstruction to fighting the war, the Articles were a useful step in American development. Because of the seeds sown in 1776, from a societal perspective, life would have been extremely difficult for the day to day citizen without a formalized government. It also provided the basis for the writing of the Constitution, so it is still significant to us today
The historical impact of the Articles of the union is still being felt today as we move into a new era. Jefferson and Hamilton, were extremely concerned about the government falling in the hands of a tyrant and so they crafted methods for elections and check & balances for the peaceful transfer of power from generation to generation. I believe it rallied the country around the idea that a confederation would not be a workable form of government. It also made the citizens aware that their government was not working and needed to be

Get Access