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Strengths And Weaknesses Of The Articles Of Confederation

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The Articles of Confederation is defined as the first written constitution of the United States which was ratified on March 1, 1781. I will be discussing the strengths and weakness interwoven in the articles of confederation which is comprised of terms agreed by the thirteen new states (Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, South Carolina, New Hampshire, Virginia, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island) To engage in a centralized form of government whilst each state retained the liberty of self-rule which encompasses "sovereignty, freedom and independence." There are seven strengths and ten weaknesses within the article that I will be elaborating. The first strength of the articles of confederation …show more content…

Encompassed within the power congress wielded was the ability to avow war, institute peace and sign treaties such as September 3, 1783: The Peace Treaty of Paris 1783 which established and validated the terms of peace between the United States and Great Britain. The third strength inscribed in the articles of confederation accredited congress the power to supervise and manage the affair of the native Indians. The said superintendents shall attend to the execution of such regulations as Congress shall from time to time establish, respecting Indian affairs. They shall have authority to place deputies among the several tribes and to remove all or any of them for misbehavior, and also grant licenses to traders. The fourth strength proclaimed in the articles of confederation focused on the salient issue of military affairs. The Articles of Confederation acceded the notion for the Congressional direction of the Continental Army. The enactment of this article was conceived as a tool to create a centralized war-making government which enabled states to exhibit a coalesce front when encountering European …show more content…

States were given the liberty to enforce tariffs on trading activity hosted between states. The third weakness etched in the articles of confederation, which is often perceived as the paramount weakness which leads to the inevitable failure of a centralized government, the national government failed to implement an efficacious taxing system. The government was void of power to implement to tax. The revenue generated came from the states, each contributing according to the value of privately owned land within its borders. The fourth weakness affirmed in the articles of confederation is the national governments failure to enforce the states to adhere to the laws and notices for taxation. The government’s inability to impose the compliance of the laws which included taxation as a result of this negligence the government economy was impecunious. The fifth weakness averred in the articles of confederation was the absence of a national army or navy, consequently, a country militant force is significant to its holistic development. "This We'll Defend" US Army Motto The sixth weakness revealed in the articles of confederation the system of a national court was

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Some of the problems with the Articles of Confederation were each state had the power to collect is own taxes, no universal currency, had the power to provide for its own militia. Also the national government lacked the power to compel states to honor national obligations, collect taxes or regulate commerce, and there were no courts to resolve issues among the different states. The American citizens also could not identify with the central government. There was no executive branch, no president, no national court system, and no effective way to

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had major issues that lead to exposure of problems through, what could have been, dangerous events like Shay’s Rebellion. Although crushed before it could do substantial damage to the country, this group of 300 men exposed some serious problems with the A of C. Some of these include the government not having a standing army, and the fact the the national government couldn’t levy taxes. Under the Articles, the states had these powers under the idea that a weak Federal government was best. One of the first privileges discussed was shown in Document 1 (letter from James Madison to George Washington). It is stated that “the national government should be armed with positive and complete authority in all cases which require uniformity; such as the regulation of trade, including the right of taxing both exports and imports, the fixing of terms and forms of naturalization….”

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Good evening delegates. We are here today to talk to you about the strengths of the Articles of Confederation. The Articles of Confederation are our first attempt at a new government. We are allowed to declare war, peace, and sign treaties with foreign nations, which we were not granted to do under British rule. The Articles of Confederation also enable us to have a say in political matters.

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Brackemyre illustrates another weakness by stating, “According to the Articles of Confederation, Congress had the sole power to make peace and war, but did not have the authority to raise an army of its own.” This meant that the Congress had no way of dealing with conflicts that rose to threaten the country. Without a national army, the Congress was dependent on the state troops which could not be amassed for a quick and effective enough response. Under the Articles, the Congress would fail to defend American sovereignty from the various dangers that would threaten

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Failures of The Articles of Confederation Although The Articles of Confederation were created to give the American colonies a sense of a unified government, it had more weaknesses than strengths. This left our new nation incredibly divided and fragile. In order to correct the debilitated state of our government, a new constitution was necessary. The articles of Confederation failed to meet the needs of the New American Republic because it created a weak central government, Congress could not levy taxes and changes needed approval by 9/13 states.

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As it applies to the Articles of Confederation there were many weaknesses in the way it went about governing the United States. For one, the loose federation of the states was too weak to act as a foundation to be considered or act as a central government. In addition the state legislatures had too much power and in turn had the ability to influence economic issues of all kinds. This strong legislature is the same one that allowed for mob ruling and actions by debtors. The Articles of confederation were also weak because the required congress to have all 13 colonies in agreement when a new tax was to be passed.

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With the Article of Confederation, this agreement among the 13 colonies in the United States as a confederation of sovereign states which served as the first constitution in America (Schultz, 2010). Under the Articles of Confederation had a weak government with a one-house legislature, while the states remain powerful. Although, designating a president and national court did not exist, however, the central government’s power was kept limited. During this time the country main problems consist of debt, humanity and authority over the lack of control of the western expansion, dubious foreign relations with other countries and debt accumulated during the war (Schultz, 2010). On an account of the Articles, the government had no way of raising money, due to no taxations allowed, which cause the government not to repay the debt owed, such as promissory notes were given to landowners to aid in the war, and members of the army wanted payment for their service

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Why the Constitution Surpasses the Articles of Confederation Today in history, the United States still obeys the Constitution.   As everyone knows, it took bravery, courage, and bloodshed for the U.S. to keep and have this document.  It took a great mind and a lot of trial and error to create the perfect form of government that was right and fair to all the people.  

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