Constitution Predecessor

The Constitutions’ Predecessor The United States of America had not always had a strong Constitution to govern the people. No, in fact, it was quite the opposite. In 1781, six years before our current Constitution was ratified, the United States had a different set of guidelines entirely called the Articles of Confederation. The Articles of Confederation were a short lived, ineffective rough draft version of the constitution we have now. With the articles calling the shots each state that was a part of the confederation was fully independent and had a frail central government. The individual state had more overall power than the central government. This was promised in Article II “Each state retains its sovereignty, freedom, and Independence,

They were weak because they had no courts, no executive branch, no power to levy taxes, and no power to govern the government. “The Articles of Confederation failed because they did not give Congress and the national government enough power. The new United States just fought a war to end what they considered tyrannical rule of a strong government that overpowered local government and the leaders of the U.S. feared a powerful central government.”(Tilva1) Many disputes took place during this time which resulted in the expulsion of many revolts, mobs, and protests.The most notable example of this issue would undoubtedly be Shays’ Rebellion which began in 1786. This particular rebellion ignited from a depression after the Revolutionary War and “perceived economic and civil rights injustices”(enotes1) and was extinguished by the state militia in 1787. Daniel Shays led over four thousand rebels in an armed protest to make his point known. This ended up being a good thing because it encouraged the government to rethink their articles and eventually change it. Consequently, Thomas Jefferson agreed by saying “I hold it that a little rebellion, now and then, is a good thing…” Shays’ Rebellion demonstrated the ineffectiveness of the Confederate Congress and paved a way for the constitutional people to get it

The similarities being they both had detailed congress’ rights and duties, congressional power over the military, foundational governing documentation of the USA, and Only allowing the government to send and receive ambassadors. The differences being, that the articles laid a foundation for a confederate government, unicameral government, which required a unanimous ratification, and without a president. When the constitution took over, America gained a solid foundation for a federal government, a bicameral legislature, and a requirement of 9 states for ratification along with a presidential branch. The Constitution is made up of seven key components that separate it from anything else in the world during this time: popular sovereignty, limited government, federalism, separation of power, checks and balances, judicial review, and the ability to be amended. Because of these elements the constitution still presides over the United States. After the anti-federalist had a bill of rights put into place ,to ensure everyone's protection, it was ready for ratification and so it was in 1788. Furthermore, 228 years ago America adopted one of the most paramount constitutions of all