The Articles Of Confederation, National Government And Fundamental Laws

Under America’s first governing document, the Articles of Confederation, the national government grew weak and states operated like independent countries. In response to this the delegates at the 1787 convention which was originally set to ratify the Articles of Confederation devised a plan for a stronger federal government with three branches–executive, legislative and judicial–along with a system of checks and balances to ensure that no one branch would ever gain too much power. The U.S. Constitution established America’s national government and fundamental laws, while guaranteeing that certain basic rights for its citizens would be established and protected. It was signed on September 17, 1787, by delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, presided over by George Washington. The Bill of Rights, the first 10 amendments guaranteed basic individual protections and became part of the Constitution in 1791. On the federal level, the Constitution set a division among the executive, legislative, and judicial branches; locally the government must be granted permission by the state and the governing bodies are directly elected by the people. In total it left the maximum amount of freedom in the hands of individuals. This being said, a common concern among many in today’s society is whether or not a document that was written 229 years ago can still remain relevant in a world that is frequently changing. The Constitutions relevancy is based on the fact that it is a…