The Articles of Confederation were written by a committee that Congress appointed in 1776 to draft a constitution for the new nation that was being formed following independence from Britain. The committee wrote what is known as the Articles of Confederation but really called the “Articles of Confusion” because they were written poorly. Although they were adopted by Congress on November 5, 1777. The Articles went into effect on March 1, 1781, and lasted until March 4, 1789 when they were replaced by the US Constitution, which was a vast improvement from the articles of Confederation. The purpose of the Articles of Confederation was to create a confederation of states whereby each state retained "its sovereignty, freedom, and independence,
…show more content…
Congress did establish a tax quota for each of the states and then asked them to contribute on a voluntarily basis, but few states did. Less than one-fourth of states would collect taxes. Individual states often placed high taxes on goods from other states to make money. Another weakness of the Articles of Confederation was that Congress could declare war, but it lacked the power to raise a national army. Congress could ask the states to provide troops from the state militias, but the states could refuse. So realistically there wasn’t a national army because none of the states wanted to initiate one which was a major weakness because it’s crucial to have a national army ready to fight. On top of not having the power to raise a national army, Congress had no power to coin money, therefore each state developed its own currency. The fact that each state had its own currency made it difficult for the states to trade and buy with each other since they all had different currency’s. Yet as stated earlier under the Articles of Confederation, Congress had no way to collect taxes from the states to pay off this …show more content…
Fifty-five emissaries from all the states except Rhode Island met in a small brick statehouse that facilitated conversations that led to eventual compromises. With George Washington as chairman of the “demigods” compromises were made to achieve their goal of having a firm, dignified, and respected government. Instead of rewriting the Articles of Confederation which is what Congress suggested, the committee scrapped the Articles and started with a clean slate of paper for the Constitution. After intensive debate which took place over the summer, a plan was written that established three branches of national government. These branches of the government are known as the executive, legislative and judicial branches. A system of checks and balances was put into place so that no single branch would have too much authority. The issue of equal representation in Congress that was poorly addressed in the Articles of Confederation was properly addressed in the Constitution. Delegates from larger states wanted number of representatives in Congress to be based on population, but of course small states called for equal representation. The Connecticut Compromise took in the wants of both sides and proposed a bicameral legislature with the House of Representatives based on state population and the Senate has equal
Congress did establish a tax quota for each of the states and then asked them to contribute on a voluntarily basis, but few states did. Less than one-fourth of states would collect taxes. Individual states often placed high taxes on goods from other states to make money. Another weakness of the Articles of Confederation was that Congress could declare war, but it lacked the power to raise a national army. Congress could ask the states to provide troops from the state militias, but the states could refuse. So realistically there wasn’t a national army because none of the states wanted to initiate one which was a major weakness because it’s crucial to have a national army ready to fight. On top of not having the power to raise a national army, Congress had no power to coin money, therefore each state developed its own currency. The fact that each state had its own currency made it difficult for the states to trade and buy with each other since they all had different currency’s. Yet as stated earlier under the Articles of Confederation, Congress had no way to collect taxes from the states to pay off this …show more content…
Fifty-five emissaries from all the states except Rhode Island met in a small brick statehouse that facilitated conversations that led to eventual compromises. With George Washington as chairman of the “demigods” compromises were made to achieve their goal of having a firm, dignified, and respected government. Instead of rewriting the Articles of Confederation which is what Congress suggested, the committee scrapped the Articles and started with a clean slate of paper for the Constitution. After intensive debate which took place over the summer, a plan was written that established three branches of national government. These branches of the government are known as the executive, legislative and judicial branches. A system of checks and balances was put into place so that no single branch would have too much authority. The issue of equal representation in Congress that was poorly addressed in the Articles of Confederation was properly addressed in the Constitution. Delegates from larger states wanted number of representatives in Congress to be based on population, but of course small states called for equal representation. The Connecticut Compromise took in the wants of both sides and proposed a bicameral legislature with the House of Representatives based on state population and the Senate has equal