Confederation Vs Constitution Dbq Essay

When the Constitution was first drafted in Philadelphia, 1787, there was strong opposition to it from the supporters of the Articles of Confederation, America’s first governing document. One of the starkest Anti-Federalists, Patrick Henry, believed the Constitution was a gateway to power for tyrants, similarly, Thomas Jefferson strongly opposed the Constitution’s ratification, believing the Constitution would strip Americans of their freedoms and liberties. Despite their efforts, the Constitution was signed into law, and is now contrarily viewed as that which protects Americans’ rights. The US Constitution is a more democratic document than the Articles of Confederation because under the Articles there was no proportional representation, Americans did not directly vote for any representatives in Congress under the Articles, and the Constitution implemented federal income taxes were able to fund a government that could effectively protect the rights of American citizens. The

The Articles of Confederation explicitly stated in Article 5 that, “delegates shall be annually appointed in such manner as the legislatures of each State shall direct, to meet in Congress” (Articles of Con., art. V). Because Congressional Representatives were chosen by the State legislators and not by the citizens, this political system was not nearly as democratic as the Constitution, in which the voting citizenry directly elected their delegates in the House of Representatives. It was especially important that Americans elect their House delegates because the Constitution stated that, “all Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives” (US Const. art. 1, sec. 8). By having the power to directly vote for the leaders who propose bills relating to taxes, the Constitution allowed Americans to have more power over Congress than the Articles of