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Articles Of Confederation Essay

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Our founding fathers adopted the Articles of Confederation as the first constitution of the United States, shortly after gaining independence from Great Britain. The Articles basically established how the federal government would function free of British rule. What the founding fathers failed to see or forecast were the potential issues that came about shortly after the Articles were ratified by the states. The Articles did not give the federal government much power as people at the time were afraid of a powerful central government. The new government was unable to impose any laws or levy taxes on the colonies as each was independent. In short, the articles resulted in a weak central government with most of the power left at the state level. Most of the leaders, including George Washington and Alexander Hamilton realized that a stronger national government was essential, (Wilson, DiIulio, JR & Bose, 2012) and so in May 1787, delegates met in Philadelphia to revise the Articles in hopes that a compromise could be achieved. They had the same goals and objectives they had in 1776, which was the protection of life, and …show more content…

Madison arrived at the meeting with a comprehensive plan for a new national government (Wilson, DiIulio, JR & Bose, 2012). The plan, presented to the delegates by Virginia Governor Edmund Randolph, in the form of fifteen resolutions became known as the Virginia Plan. Madison proposed a central government organized into a legislative branch, an executive branch, a judicial branch, and a two-house legislature system (Wilson, DiIulio, JR & Bose, 2012). The plan’s key resolutions proposed a national legislature with supreme powers on all matters that the states were not competent to act upon, as well as the power to abolish any, and all state laws, and at least one house of the legislature would be elected directly by the people (Wilson, DiIulio, JR & Bose,

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