Articles of Confederation vs the Constitution
Compare and contrast the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution, especially in regard to the specific powers granted by each to the national government.
Although both the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution of the United States have both ran our country, in the past and presently, as we excavate them we will find similarities as well as many differentiating factors about the documents. As the Articles of Confederation became ratified in 1781, it created a loose confederation of sovereign states and a weak government, leaving most of the power within the state governments. They were joined together by a loosely dominant congress with many restrictions, which created two major handicaps. With most of the power in the state’s hands, the congress has to power to regulate commerce or enforce tax collections. The citizens were asked to voluntarily offer contributions in order to meet a quota that was rarely ever met. Because there was no executive to be in charge of the nation, having a strong government was nearly impossible. In addition to, there was no judicial system with any federal courts, so matters and problems that existed had no ample way of getting solved. Having made a landmark in the history of the United States government, these articles paved the way to the establishment to our government today; the Constitution of the United States. Adopted in 1787, the Constitution came to a shock to the public when it was finally handed a new document in place of the Articles of Confederation. Creating a republic rather then a democracy, our founding fathers had put in place a government of representation. Taking away power from the states and giving it to a central government, the Constitution created an executive, judicial, and a legislative branch. Although the government was headed by a president and many other official leaders, the people still had the power to run the country through representatives. The checks and balances system
Although both the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution of the United States have both ran our country, in the past and presently, as we excavate them we will find similarities as well as many differentiating factors about the documents. As the Articles of Confederation became ratified in 1781, it created a loose confederation of sovereign states and a weak government, leaving most of the power within the state governments. They were joined together by a loosely dominant congress with many restrictions, which created two major handicaps. With most of the power in the state’s hands, the congress has to power to regulate commerce or enforce tax collections. The citizens were asked to voluntarily offer contributions in order to meet a quota that was rarely ever met. Because there was no executive to be in charge of the nation, having a strong government was nearly impossible. In addition to, there was no judicial system with any federal courts, so matters and problems that existed had no ample way of getting solved. Having made a landmark in the history of the United States government, these articles paved the way to the establishment to our government today; the Constitution of the United States. Adopted in 1787, the Constitution came to a shock to the public when it was finally handed a new document in place of the Articles of Confederation. Creating a republic rather then a democracy, our founding fathers had put in place a government of representation. Taking away power from the states and giving it to a central government, the Constitution created an executive, judicial, and a legislative branch. Although the government was headed by a president and many other official leaders, the people still had the power to run the country through representatives. The checks and balances system