Compare And Contrast The Articles Of Confederation

In 1776 the Continental Congress drafted our country’s first Constitution, The Articles of Confederation. The Articles of Confederation lasted only 8 years for many reasons. The Articles gave most of the power to the states. The national government has very little control and help only three responsibilities: monitor common defense, general welfare and securing liberties. The states held the power and this led to a very weak government. There was no regulation of trade and each state printed its own currency. This resulted in an un-stable and inconsistent economy. In 1787 55 delegates from the states met with the purpose of amending the Articles of Confederation. What actually took place that day was the creation of something that would remain our governments foundation for many years. The question facing the delegates was what should the new government be based on? There were two plans that were considered, the New Jersey Plan and the Virginia Plan. Both of the plans called for different branches of government to be formed, but there were many differences between them as well. The New Jersey Plan

It had many supporters including George Washington, Edmund Rudolph and the states of Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Georgia and Virginia. This plan awarded votes to states based on their populations, essentially giving power to the larger states. Like The New Jersey Plan, it called for the forming of three branches of government, legislative, executive and judicial. “All three branches could check and balance the other branches.” (Munson, 2016) Unlike the unicameral Congress the New Jersey plan proposed, the Virginal Plan consisted of a bicameral legislature. The would be a Senate and a House of Representatives, but these positions were filled based on the larger states getting more votes. The goal was to create a strong national government, something the Articles had failed to