Articles Of Confederation Dbq Essay

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As a new republic, we cannot afford to make the same mistake twice when establishing the law of the land for our government. The weaknesses and flaws in the Articles of Confederation were evident when Shay’s rebellion arose not long ago in Massachusetts. How do we protect the law-abiding citizen from enemies, both foreign and domestic, who seek to disrupt the Liberty of the United States and jeopardize our security? The Constitution of the United States Article 1, Section 8, Clause 12 state, “The Congress shall have Power To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years.” We the people of the United States must ratify the Constitution in order to create a Standing Army that provide security against both internal and external threats of America. …show more content…

Shay and his men rebelled by seizing the arms at the Springfield, Massachusetts armory and creating havoc in the region. The popularity of Shay’s rebellion grew as more farmers joined the rebellion against the state. Finally, a force of militiamen stopped the rebellion. How do we insure the liberty of those who are affected by these local rebellions? An organized Standing Army would insure the security of the people in the United States. Montesquieu’s The Spirit of Laws suggests, “The armies with which it is entrusted should consist of the people, the legislative power should have a right to disband them as soon as it pleased.” Therefore, the Congress, the people’s government, has the power to create and disband a Standing Army if necessary. We must first secure the people’s liberty from internal