History Essay

Although the Articles of Confederation was an unsuccessful document, the government formed by the Articles was much better than the tyranny of King George III. The ideas and experiences of the revolutionary era, 1764 - 1789, influenced the decisions made in the Articles of Confederation. The lack of representation, violations against people’s rights, and need for state

In conclusion, the Articles of Confederation provided the United States with an ineffective government in the 1780’s because of the lack of power to tax, raise an army, or regulate trade; however, it redeemed itself with the creation of the land ordinances of 1785 and 1787, and keeping the states together after the American Revolution. This government held the states together after the war, but it would not have for much longer if the constitutional convention did not draft a new document with which to govern the country that would fix the arising issues that came with the Articles of

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.

The Articles of Confederation served as the written document that established the functions of the national government of the United States after it declared independence from Great Britain. Although, it established a weak central government, it contributed to U.S principles because The Articles of Confederation were the basis of the first government of the United States of America. The Articles were essentially the “training wheels” of the government; it was a learning point to create something much greater which became the Constitution. The problems that this weak document created, combined with the Confederation government’s ineffectual response to Shays’ Rebellion, convinced national leaders that a more powerful central government was necessary.

The Article of Confederation was ratified in 1781. This Article was part of the formation of a national government in the United States. But, by 1787, a reform convention was held to address the Article’s weaknesses. This event also brought about tension in the country between two groups, the Federalists and Antifederalists. Federalists were a group of people that advocated for a system of government, while Antifederalists opposed the creation of a stronger America. The Article of Confederation  was designed as a loose confederation of 13 states, and reflected principles of the Declaration of Independence. But, difficulties began to arise with the new Constitution when economic weakness and farmers revolt proved the Article was a poor form of government, along with opposing views from Federalists and Antifederalists, verifying that an inadequate document had been created.

Arguably, the biggest flaw in the government established by the Articles of Confederation was Congress’ lack of financial resources. Economically, the national government could borrow money, but that was the extent of their abilities. Congress could neither control interstate commerce nor collect taxes from states. [Document A] displays the state perspectives on the government’s financial capability. The reasons as to which why the government could not regulate economy listed in Document A portray the economic dominance

Not wanting to recreate similar oppressions imposed by the British, the Articles of Confederation left most of the power to the states. While able to end the war with Britain and declare autonomy, it soon became clear with Shay’s Rebellion, however, that this new government, defined as the Critical Period (1781-1789) was too weak and too flawed to endure a lasting nation.

The Articles of Confederation, was a form of government that was a very radical, first of its kind, which did indeed prove to be unworkable. I believe the reason it was passed so quickly and was such a failure is because the citizens of this new and independent America were very quick to set up a government, as they were already involved In foreign trade, and had their own currency. I also believe that young America wanted to become the exact opposite of its primary mother country, Great Britain. This was an idea that “seemed good on paper” quite literally. The colonists wanted a government with no distinct central power, and representation for all, which seems to anyone who has endured oppression from a monarchy, like a great idea. However

Before the constitution was created, there was an authoritative document known as the Articles of Confederation that ruled over America. Considering that Great Britain’s monarchy one of the main reasons why America broke off from the British, there is no surprise that they decided to change who the authority went to. However, it is known that the Articles are no longer the form of government we use, proving how horrendous it must have truly been for America to go so far as to change their own way of living. To illustrate, because of the Articles, the federal jurisdiction was no longer able to impose or collect taxes, which led to a large bankruptcy and debt in the country. Moreover, nine out of the thirteen state’s approval was needed to pass

The argument between Federalists and Anti-Federalists might seem long gone to American citizens, but still their philosophical foundations shape the teams, scope and size of the battlefield. These philosophies go back to two lone men, Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson. Both fought aggressively for a government based on their ideas, and both did make portions of the now-standing American government. This essay will outline the political, social and economic philosophies of both men, how their philosophies influenced the government today, and a closing opinion.

For one, there was a lack of central leadership, and the emphasis on making sure that each state retained their own power and independence ultimately left America with no real diplomacy or economic pull. In addition to these tribulations, “passage of any law under the Articles of Confederation proved difficult. It took the consensus of nine states for any measure to pass, and amending the Articles required the consent of all the states, also extremely difficult to achieve” (Corbett 198). Overall, “the lack of support illustrates the Americans’ deep suspicion of a powerful national government, a suspicion that originated from the unilateral and heavy-handed reform efforts that the British Parliament imposed on the colonies in the 1760s and 1770s” (Corbett 198). But even with these flaws, one cannot underestimate the AoC’s impact and importance on America’s history, as it united the individual states while also establishing the first national

On July 4th, 1776 the American Colonists ' ratified The Declaration of Independence. This Declaration severed their final ties to England and idealized the formation of an equal society, independent of a corrupted centralized government like that of Britain. In order to accomplish this perfect nation, the Americans followed the Declaration with the creation of The Articles of Confederation. The Confederation 's purpose was to guide the young republic to a decentralized government that upheld the Republican theory that the common people were in a constant pursuit for the general welfare of all. Nonetheless, with both documents placing the principles of equality and fear of authoritarian power at the center of the nation 's identity, distinct social inequalities and issues of greed unveiled themselves. Due to such tyranny, at the end of the eighteenth century America reformed her republic with the institution of a federal constitution. Yet, the emergence of Hamilton’s Financial Program and the Sedition Act from this reform led the society to segregation and wrought with the unequal distribution of power. Therefore, as the United States of America progressed it did not remain true to its revolutionary ideals of equality and government by the common people to foster a society based on civic virtue.

The two historical documents, Narrative of Lavinia Bell written by an anonymous author in the Montreal Gazette and the Letter to an English Abolitionist by James Henry Hammond, shared their strong opinions on the important issue of slavery. These documents were written in the 1800’s during an era of progressive changes. One can identify similarities and many differences in their opinions, motives, and goals for their writings. I believe Bell’s account was written to show the perspective of slaves’ brutal view, compared to Hammond’s letter justifying slavery and the rights of the slaveholders.

The Articles of Confederation, a written agreement that ensured each state’s sovereignty, freedom and independence, led America to victory over the British centralized government. During the late eighteenth century, the empowered government terrified the Americans, hence the thirteen colonies decided to spread governance powers equally to all functional states. The states had absolute dominance over the Congress due to the Articles of Confederation. While the localized power of states seemed to be promising, the system posed great threat to the major components of a democratic government, which are coercion, revenue, and legitimacy (Lecture 1 - The Roots of Government). The system of localized power did not ensure legitimacy, which referred to people’s recognition of national government. Congress’s lack of power to control each state’s actions caused great chaos. Eventually, national government’s lack of power and inability to unify the states exposed multiple flaws in the Articles of Confederation; consequently, a new supreme law, the Constitution was established by the founding fathers. The new supreme law successfully altered the imbalanced system into a novel democratic government.

Numerous events and people have played a great part in shaping this country of ours into what it is today, the United States of America. Choosing such events or people to talk about is no easy task since there are so many that play a key role in how this country was founded, but the three different ones that will be covered in this paper are George Washington, the Revolutionary War, and finally the Civil War.