The Articles of Confederation
After winning
its independence from Great Britain in the Revolutionary War,
the new country situated on the eastern seaboard of North America
needed to fashion some form of governmental system. The Articles
of Confederation represent the first constitutional agreement
made between the 13 American states. There was a need for unity
among the new states that were created as a result of the American
Revolution. The relative powers of the individual states and
the Continental Congress also needed to be defined for the young
country. These realities led Congress to entrust John Dickinson
with the drafting of a federal constitution.
This federal constitution was called the Articles of
Confederation and was submitted to the Second Continental
Congress on July 12, 1776. Three main points for Congress
to debate existed in this new document:
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1) the apportionment of taxes according to the
population,
2) the granting of 1 vote per state, and
3) the right of the federal government to dispose of public lands
in the West.
This debate led to several revisions and the document
was adopted by the Congress on November 15, 1777. In its final form,
the Articles of Confederation were comprised of a preamble
and 13 articles. The document maintained the aspect of voting done by
states, but taxes were based upon the value of buildings and land and
not by a state’s population. The Articles also specified that no state
could be deprived of territory for the benefit of the country and that
all 13 states had to agree to any amendment of the federal government’s
power.
The Articles of Confederation became
the ruling document in the new nation after they were ratified by the
last of the 13 American states, Maryland, in 1781. The Articles created
a nation that was "a league of friendship and perpetual union."
The state governments retained most of the power under this framework,
with a subordinate position given to the central government. The central
government commanded little respect and was not able to accomplish much
because it had little jurisdiction over states or individuals.
The following are challenges in governing the
new nation under the Articles of Confederation:
- Congress (the central government) was made
up of delegates chosen by the states and could conduct foreign affairs,
make treaties, declare war, maintain an army and a navy, coin money,
and establish post offices. However, measures passed by Congress had
to be approved by 9 of the 13 states.
- Congress was severely limited in its powers.
It could not raise money by collecting taxes; it had no control over
foreign commerce; it could pass laws but could not force the states
to comply with them. Thus, the government was dependent on the willingness
of the various states to carry out its measures, and often the states
refused to cooperate.
- The articles were virtually impossible to amend,
so problems could not be corrected.
In the words of George Washington, the government
created by the Articles of the Confederation was "little
more than the shadow without the substance." As the need for a
stronger federal government began to be realized, leaders from throughout
the states got together to decide how to create it. The Federal Constitutional
Convention of 1787 was responsible for drafting the Constitution of
the United States, the document which took the place of the Articles
of Confederation in 1787.
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