The Constitution changed the face of the United States government. However, the United States government was not always run by the Constitution. The Articles of Confederation came before it, but ultimately was decided to be unfit for the needs of the republic due to the lack of power to the central government and the weak bond it formed for the Union. The Constitution transformed the federal system of the United States into the balanced system we use today.
The Articles of Confederation and the Constitution were very different documents, especially under the topic of state sovereignty. The Articles of Confederation gave the states much more power. The Articles of Confederation gave states the power to determine how delegates were to be elected, levy and collect taxes, as well as control their individual commerce. Under the Constitution the state governments were striped of these powers. The federal government decides delegates, taxes, and commerce. The Constitution expanded the powers of the federal government.
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The states could not make trades without the consent of the federal government. Mandates are another way the federal government enlarged its power. Mandates gave the federal government the authority to carry out policies. The national government now had the right to establish policies that the states had to adhere to. With all this new power, the states felt that they needed to find a balance so they established block grants and challenged the national government in the Supreme