Transcript The Articles of Confederation

The Articles of
Confederation
The first national constitution for
the United States was called the
Articles of Confederation.
A confederacy is a loose alliance of
independent states or nations. States had
established constitutions prior to the
signing of the Articles of Confederation.
The creators of the Articles were careful to
protect the individual rights and freedoms
established in state constitutions. The
Articles of Confederacy contained a
preamble, thirteen articles (sections), and
a conclusion.
The Articles contain some important
contradictions and flaws. The preamble says
that the Articles are for a “perpetual Union”
among the thirteen states. However, Article II
maintains that “Each state retains its
sovereignty, and independence, and every
power, jurisdiction, and right, which is not by this
Confederation expressly delegated to the United
States, in Congress assembled.” Contradictions
and flaws in the Articles of Confederation caused
many problems for the United States after the
Revolution was won.
Confederation Issues
Over time, it became obvious
that there were serious flaws in
the Articles of Confederation.
Many states did not ratify (approve) the Articles
of Confederation until 1778 or later. By 1787,
delegates were meeting to revise the Articles of
Confederation. State representatives were so
obsessed with not having a king rule the
Americas that the Articles of Confederation failed
to create an executive branch. Without an
executive branch, states were left on the honors
system to implement plans enacted by
Congress.
There also was no judicial branch under the
Articles of Confederation. Disputed between
states, state governments and citizens, and
citizens from different states were to be decided
by the state legislatures or Congress.
The people of Vermont
had broken away from
New Hampshire; there
was a virtual state of war
between these two
regions. Territory west of
the Appalachian
Mountains and north of
the Ohio River was
claimed by Virginia,
Massachusetts, and
Connecticut. Georgia
claimed land from the
Atlantic Ocean to the
Mississippi River.
Finally, regardless of the population of a
state, each state had one vote concerning
any issues in Congress. For an act to
pass Congress, nine of the thirteen states
had to agree to it. This left the Articles too
weak to settle many disputes in the United
States.
Economic Issues and the
Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation
failed to establish a fair, working
economy for the United States.
Article VIII of the Articles of Confederation
established a common treasury to pay for
national defense. But, the Articles left the
authority for collecting taxes in the hands of
individual state legislatures. States argued
among themselves concerning what was a “fair”
contribution toward common defense. The
United States had huge war debts to pay to
France. Without an impartial tax system, some
states refused to pay toward the debt. This
caused problems creating any alliances with
other nations after the United States gained
independence. Article IX granted Congress the
power to regulate the value of money “struck by
their own authority, or by that of the respective
states”.
But there was no government body specifically
created to regulate money and trade. States
were, once again, left on the honors system.
The New England economy was based on
merchant trading. The Middle Colonies’
economy was based on farming. The Southern
Colonies’ economy was based on plantation
crops and subsistence farming. Each region
had different economic interests, and the Articles
of Confederation failed to create a regulatory
system for uniting the American economy.