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Pros And Cons Of The Articles Of Confederation

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The Continental Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation, which was the the first Constitution of the United States beginning on November 15th, 1777, but the states did not approve of it until March 1st, 1781. The Articles constructed a weak central government along with a loose confederation of sovereign states, departing most of the power with the state governments. Nationalists, led by James Madison, George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Wilson, almost immediately began working toward strengthening the federal government. They turned a series of regional commercial conferences into a national constitutional convention at Philadelphia in 1787. When it comes to comparing both the Constitution and the Articles of …show more content…

The independent executive chosen by electoral college. Had separate federal court system, with power to resolved disputes between the states. Congress has the power to "lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts, and excises." They also have the power to regulate commerce with other nations and among the states.Congress consists of two bodies, and has implied as well as specific powers. Number in House is based on population and each state has two Senators. Amended with approval of 3/4 of states. Lastly, both central government and state governments acts directly on the …show more content…

The lack of power given to the Continental Congress weakened the federal government. The Articles gave Congress the ability to approve laws, but no power to apply those laws. If a state did not assist a federal law, that state can just disregard it. Congress had no power to impose taxes or regulate trade. Without a federal court system or executive leader, there would be no way to enforce these laws, either. Amending the Articles of Confederation would also require a unanimous decision, which would be extremely difficult. The Constitutional Convention of 1787 was called to revise the ailing Articles of Confederation. However, the Convention dismissed the Articles, drafting a new Constitution with a much stronger national government. Nine states had to approve the Constitution before it could go into effect. After a long debating battle, eleven states ratified the Constitution, which instituted a new form of government for the United

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