Federal Government By The Articles Of Confederation example essay topic

DB 1985 The colonists were living in a brand new country that had no track record. Considering that the articles of confederation had no precedent to follow, and no other government to imitate; the articles were fairly good. However, the Articles of Confederation could have been more effective than they were. Effective does not necessarily mean that the government was strong. It does mean that the government was able to provide the people with the kind of government they wanted and needed.

Also, ineffective does not necessarily mean weak. The Articles were deliberately written for a weak central government, the colonists set it up they way they wanted to. Despite the fact that they one the revolutionary war, and they now realized that they were able to work together, they feared that a central government would cause each state to loose the civil rights which they have already gained. Therefore, the colonists deliberately made a weak central government.

However, the kind of government which the people set up, through their own will created much uncertainty. The industrious people preferred security and quite and the government held too much uncertainty for them. If there is too much uncertainty, then they will agree to anything that will give them the security that they want. (Document G) The Articles of Confederation set up a unicameral Congress in which each state had one vote.

The executive authority would be in a committee of thirteen. The rights which the Articles gave to the federal government were very limited. It was very difficult to get anything done because in order to add an amendment or change something a unanimous decision was required. The powers which were given to the federal government by the Articles of Confederation include: the authority to make war and treaties, as well as the ability to determine the amount of troops and money each state can contribute.

However, there was no way for them to enforce it. The federal government also had the power to borrow money and admit new states into the Union. Under the Articles of Confederation, the federal government could not levy taxes because the states were in charge. The Confederation could not draft troops; they are only able to suggest which states should contribute based on their population. They were also unable to regulate commerce, only the state itself had the ability to do so. Although the Articles may have been effective, not everyone has the same needs or wants.

What is good for one state may not necessarily be good for another. For example, Rhode Island was a small state, whose main income came mostly from trading. Therefore, when Congress wanted to make an impost on imported goods, it wasn't fair to Rhode Island (Document A). On the other hand, the economy under the Articles of Confederation was pretty much stable. Based on the population between 1784 to 1789, the value of United States exports increased decreased rapidly then increased again (Document B). Their foreign relations were also doing fairly well.

For example, the colonists and Spain were disputing over who had navigation rights to the Mississippi river, and the territory between the United States and Spanish territory. They soon realized that the Mississippi River would eventually be used as a highway for sea transportation (in the far distant time) so they should not make and discord. Therefore, the treaty was limited to around twenty five to thirty years. Also, the United States would get to use the navigation of the river to the sea- the duration of the treaty would be limited to that same time period (Document F). The United States were trying to make the articles as fair as possible.

They were not immediately ratified because there were land disputes and there had to be a unanimous decision. Everybody hat wanted and claimed more land than they had. New Jersey, Maryland and Delaware all had no claims. These states were the ones who initially refused to ratify the Articles; they were not prepared to ratify a constitution which gave them no say in any matters. The larger states on the other hand felt that they were underrepresented. They were hoping for more equality in size (document E).

Eventually, Maryland changed their minds about ratifying the constitution because they ceded the land. Since the government could not tax, they were in major financial trouble. They began to print continentals which were not backed by any commodities so they were worthless. The rest of the world meanwhile was waiting to see how Britain would react; so they were afraid to get too friendly with the colonists. The colonists though, knew that it was time to build up trade and trust with other countries. Eventually, their financial plans fell through, so France and the Netherlands made loans and were able to help keep the United States afloat.

The Articles of Confederation confirmed the weak decentralized system which was already in operation. The Articles did not make it clear that the Congress was to be a real government. It was therefore, an uncertain central government. Many people felt that the colonists should just try to set up a new confederation instead of trying to fix the old one. (Document H).

We can see that although the colonists tried, they lefts some loopholes, such as the fact that a unanimous decision was needed to pass laws, which made the Articles weak.