Analyze the degree to which the Articles of Confederation provided an effective form of government with respect to all of the following:
Foreign relations, Economic conditions and Western lands
Once the Articles of Confederation were created, the government was effected in many aspects. These requirements or agreements ranged from allowing the central government to control foreign relations and war, to granting equal treatment and freedom to all the citizens. An effective government is defined as a government that serves the people but also uses the people to help develop the state or country. For example, a government is supposed to help the economy but they are also supposed to tax the people in order to help the economy. Through the Articles
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The first step that America took to increasing their foreign relations was translating the Articles of Confederation into French so that France would believe that America created a true government. Because of these new laws, only the central government had the ability to conduct foreign relations or declare war. By forbidding any state from declaring war, the government was able to have greater control over the states and attempt to create a long-lasting peace in America. Even though the government prevented states from declaring war, in terms of other foreign issues such as the foreign economy, the central government was not perfect. In the Confederation, Congress was forbidden to levy or collect taxes, which not only affected interstate trade but also made Congress incapable of taxing internationally imported or exported goods. Therefore, Congress could not earn any money through all the international trade nor could they regulate the trade. Because of this, all of the states had the ability to trade with whomever they wanted and were not taxed or restricted. Furthermore, since Congress was unable to enforce treaties, other countries had no desire to create treaties with America because the treaties would never be fulfilled. As the Articles of Confederation limited the central government’s …show more content…
Before the Articles of Confederation, any state had the ability to claim land west of the Appalachians and until the Mississippi. Following the implementation of the Articles of Confederation in 1781, Maryland became nervous that because they did not have any claims in the West, that they would become small in comparison to all the other states. That being the case, Maryland proposed to Congress that rather than each state controlling land in the West, the central government should be in charge. In 1785, once Congress did not take in enough money to pay for it’s basic necessities, Congress decided to create the Land Ordinance of 1785. As a result, Congress had the capability of arranging towns into 36 squares, with a school in the middle, and selling the other 35 equal sized plots of land to citizens. Not only did this process of selling land provide money for the central government but also, all of the citizens in each town had equal sized properties for their farms. Additionally, Congress created the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, which stressed the Articles of Confederation’s goal of freedom and equality. According to this law, any place can become a state once they had a governor and 60,000 inhabitants. Then, these states would be treated equal to states such as New York
At this time, Congress had delegated powers which gave them specific powers that were extremely limited. Such limitations have Congress no power to tax or any power over interstate or foreign commerce. The Articles of Confederation also said that only the states were sovereign. This meant that only state governments had a direct impact on the people. Also, under this governing document congress consisted of one body and each state had a single vote.
It could collect taxes to pay for that army. It could regulate trade on foreign and domestic soil. It established a national currency that could be used to pay debts, and it would have the power to borrow money. The Articles of Confederation called for a very weak central government, while the Constitution called for the opposite. The new Congress was apprehensive about giving the Federal Governemnt to much power.
The Articles of Confederation did not give sufficient controls to the central government to control the economy. The central government did not have the power to levy taxes or regulate commerce. (Staff, 2009) Therefore, the government relied exclusively on money from the states for revenue.
As tensions in Great Britain grew economically and politically, the American colony declared themselves an independent nation. Gaining their independence was significant, however, keeping it would be the challenge. The Americans knew a stable federal republic was essential to remaining independent, thus they created the Constitution. Although, the creation of the Constitution and the equality it ensues a controversial issue, the Constitution did not fulfil the job it was designed to do. The document did not establish a fair government.
The Articles of Confederation was the first plan for governing the nation. It tried to help the union become a fair union. It tried to give the states as much power as possible, but with this came many weaknesses. The biggest weakness being that the national government could not force the states to obey their laws. The national government could not tax the people or enforce laws and congress did not have a strong leadership role.
The only way Congress could turn a profit was and pay off its war debt was to rely on borrowing money from the states, even though the articles remained in effect, the states failed to produce the funds needed by the congress to pay off the war debts. Furthermore trade and commerce could not be regulated by congress. In fact the only way for congress to do anything such as create new laws and impose taxes was to have nine out of thirteen states agree on the
In 1787, the Founding Fathers met in Philadelphia to try to readjust the Articles of Confederation. They ended up making a new Constitution, which created a stronger central government. The Constitution gave Congress the power to tax, and it also made the states required to follow Congress’s decisions. This made the government much more effective, but it also made it more
The Articles of Confederation was the first constitution of the United States. The Articles were ratified in 1781. The Articles were a loose union under authority of congress. They had three purposes; to declare war, raise an army, and so sign treaties. There were many strengths as well as many weaknesses that came out of the Articles.
As it applies to the Articles of Confederation there were many weaknesses in the way it went about governing the United States. For one, the loose federation of the states was too weak to act as a foundation to be considered or act as a central government. In addition the state legislatures had too much power and in turn had the ability to influence economic issues of all kinds. This strong legislature is the same one that allowed for mob ruling and actions by debtors. The Articles of confederation were also weak because the required congress to have all 13 colonies in agreement when a new tax was to be passed.
In 1781,the articles of confederation were ratified. This was the first form of central government in America. America just got out of a tyranny, so they tried their best to limit the government's power. This resulted in a very weak Central Government. What two main weaknesses of the articles of confederation caused the articles to be a bad form of government.
Following the Revolutionary War, America had just gained independance from Great Britain and needed to form a new government. The Articles of Confederation were established as an attempt to create a government that was unlike Britain’s. Unfortunately, the Articles of Confederation had several weaknesses. When in the process of repairing those weaknesses, the Federalists and the Anti-federalists formed. The Articles of Confederation were very weak as well as useless to America and because of this, the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists could not agree on a new type of government.
The new constitution, a document granting the framework for a new democratic government, replacing the Articles of the Confederation. This new document gained approval from some of the citizens, but also raised questions and concerns from others. There was a constant back and forth between the two groups on whether or not the constitution should be ratified. This editorial provides historical background on the issue and expresses my opinion on which side I would’ve chosen.
Articles of Confederation vs. U.S. Constitution The Articles of the Confederation and the U.S. Constitution are two articles that where written and accepted by the United States as a foundation for their new government. They are both very important documents that have similarities and differences. Some of the main things the Articles of Confederation and the U.S. Constitution have in common is that they addressed the needs of its constituencies.
The Articles of Confederation was an agreement among the thirteen original states of the United States that served as the first constitution. The Articles had first been introduced by Richard Henry Lee in the Second Continental Congress. Although the Articles of Confederation has made its contributions throughout history, the Articles, however, did not last very long and had been proven inadequate from the very start. I agree with this statement based on the examples and analysis of the Constitution I will soon provide. The Articles of Confederation were written during a time when the American people feared a strong national government.
Before the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, many states own land in the area that was considered in the Northwest, is east of the Mississippi River and North of the Ohio River. When all the states were in debt from the American Revolution, the Central government offered that if the states gave up their land in the Northwest, the central government will pay their debt. This was named the Northwest Ordinance of 1787. This also created rules on creating a new state. The land that the states gave up cannot have slaves and in order an area to become a state, they must have a population of 5000 males or 60000 people.