Strengths And Weaknesses Of The Articles Of Confederation

The Articles were horrendous and below are a percentage of the reasons why. The articles of Confederation had numerous flaws and shortcomings. The Articles had issues with Currency, Interstate Commerce, Foreign Trade, and Foreign Affairs. Drafted amid the years 1776 and 1777, while the colonists were still battling for independence, the Articles of Confederation made a weak national government with a large portion of the legislative forces held by the states. The Articles gave no division of powers.

A. Why do you think the framers were silent on the issue of slavery in the wording of the constitution? What were the strengths and weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation? Prior to the US Constitution, under the Articles of Confederation, the states were each more or less an independent country. In order to get the Southern states to agree to unification under the Constitution, the Northern states had to compromise and agree to allow the Southern states to hold on to slavery.

Although the Articles had some strengths, it’s weaknesses outweighed them and are what essentially led to its downfall. The federal government had little power and was unable to enforce laws. The Continental Congress had borrowed money during the Revolutionary war and was unable to pay those debts. Another weakness of the Articles of Confederation was brought to light in 1786, by Shay’s Rebellion. The rebellion protested increasing debt and the economic chaos. Under the Articles, the national

Although the Articles of Confederation had many weaknesses, there were some successes. It established post offices to make it easier to send information across long distances. The articles also had a national defense, which was very important in case they were to be attacked. Roads were built to make traveling easier. As you can see, the Articles had some successes, but in the end it just caused more issues for the

Supporting what historians argued, weaknesses of the Articles of Confederations were displayed in Shays Rebellion, which was led by farmers’ who protested on increased taxes, calling for a stronger government. Majority of the power from government was divided amongst states, whereas the central government received little to none since it only consisted of its legislature. With given support, it can be stated that the Rebellion tested the Articles of Confederation's weaknesses in financial, and domestic problems which called for the Constitutional Convention to develop a stronger central government.

The Constitution of the United States of America was framed in part by The Articles of

After the Articles of Confederation was ratified on March 1 of 1781, there began to be a widespread sense of distrust within the colonies. Several weaknesses began to emerge from the Articles of Confederation, causing various issues throughout the new founded America. To resolve the complications of the Confederation, the U.S. Constitution was ratified on December 7, 1787. One weakness that became apparent in the Confederation was the unanimous votes of Congress and the state legislatures to modify the Articles. Because the Confederation required a majority of 9 out of 13 colonies to modify the Articles, it became difficult to amend the document for the better.

The Articles of Confederations first weakness was that it did not give the federal government enough power to enforce laws. No matter the size of a state they were allowed one government a vote. There was no power to regulate trade and commerce between states, meaning that each state was allowed to regulate and determine taxes on their own trade. The national government had to rely on the states money because it had no power to tax. Each state had their own money and regulated it themselves. The Articles did not establish a strong and solid leader, which meant no president. There was also a fault in which it could take a long time to change the Articles themselves. In order to make any changes to them it required a unanimous vote.

The Confederation Government came up with what is known as today, The Articles of Confederation, to establish the functions of a national government after it declared independence from Great Britain. Benjamin Franklin first came up with the idea of the Articles of Confederation, and Jefferson along his side, also agreed that having a national government would help the states come together. Many disagreements began to occur and the Articles of Confederation discussion was delayed until 1777. The British started to invade Philadelphia and this became a huge concern the to the People. It wasn’t too long after, the 13 states started to ratify the Articles of Confederation and was soon on board with the Congress. The Articles of Confederation

The Articles of Confederation, Adopted by Congress on November 15, 1777, for all practical purposes was the United States’ first Constitution. Created to establish a bond between the newly formed states, “...the Articles purposely established a "constitution" that vested the largest share of power to the individual states” (Early America). This ensured that the government did not have the majority of power. “...the Articles denied Congress the power to collect taxes, regulate interstate commerce and enforce laws...allowing the states retained their "sovereignty, freedom and independence” (Early

The national government of the United States had many challenges under the Articles of Confederation. The Articles caused money problems and the most essential detail, a weak government. This also caused America conflicts among each of the 13 states. These problems greatly impacted the United States and it’s government as well.

The Articles of Confederation were placed as a form of temporary government. However, the Articles did not address the many problems the United States was having and going to have at the time. Therefore The Articles of Confederation were one of the weakest forms of functioning governments.

“The Constitution devotes the national domain to union, to justice, to defense, to welfare and to liberty” (Maier 154). This quote, stated by William Henry Seward, displays the strength and stability that the Constitution had over the nation, and the liberty and justice it supplied for all of its citizens. Although the Constitution and the Articles of Confederation have similarities, they have many differences, which proved that the Articles of Confederation were a weaker document in comparison. It can be said that the Articles were the “rough draft” to the final living document, which significantly influenced and “ruled” our government, as it still does today.

The Articles of Confederation was the first constitution of the United States. They were written during the revolutionary war to create a more unified government, and to establish what the national government could and could not do. The Articles let each state keep “sovereignty, freedom, and independence,” and created a very weak central government. For example, Congress could not regulate commerce or impose taxes. The impact that the Articles of Confederation had on federalism for the next few years was: the federal government had very few powers, and most of the authority remained in control of each individual state.

During the time of the Revolutionary War, the American Colonies were upset about the England’s tyrannical rule and exploitation through harsh taxes. Eventually, the colonists revolted and split from England. They wrote the Declaration of Independence and created a new government whose outlines were written in the Articles of Confederation. Unfortunately, the Articles of Confederation had an overall negative impact, as it created a weak central government, a poor financial system, and inadequate militias. There are more disadvantages than advantages to this document.