The Articles of Confederation Essays - Government,

The Articles of Confederation failed because of the fact that congress did not have a central control over any of the states. Since the government was made up of only one branch, congress was unable to control all of the states. It was weak and it lacked the powers that were needed to run America effectively and efficiently. The Constitution ultimately had everything that the Articles of Confederation lacked. The Constitution established an office for the President and the Supreme Court. The Articles of Confederation was the first formal government in America. It had few powers, few achievements, and few weaknesses. The Articles of Confederation were able to deal with foreign countries, and settle disputes among the states. They were also able to declare war and make peace. The Articles of Confederation achieved to end the American Revolution successfully. It provided for the physical and political development of the western lands and also made the United States recognized as an independent nation. Along with there powers and achievements there were weaknesses. They had no power to levy taxes. This gave minor financial assistance to the government. Without any money coming in to the government, congress was unable to pay their soldiers and maintain an army. The Articles of Confederation had no federal court. They had no executive branch and no judiciary, /this made it so that border disputes were hardly resolved and each state setting up their own set of laws. They l acked of a supervisory control which caused trade issues. The states used different tax systems when buying and selling items from one another. Other weaknesses were that they consisted of one body and each state had one vote. With the Articles of Confederation deficient in governmental powers, the federalists wanted to ratify it to make a central government. James Madison felt that something had to be done quickly because he strongly opinioned for the idea of a central government. He believed it was a way to have order and stability for the nation. Thus the Constitution was formed. The Constitution established a Congress, a Supreme Court, and a President. It also established the House of Representatives and a Senate. The Constitution made up for all of the Articles of Confederations weaknesses. It granted power on taxes and the armed forces, and it gave the power to states and government unlike the Articles of Confederation which only gave to the states. The Constitution was a compromise. In order to get things done no one state should be unwilling to compromise for the good of the nation. It was a form of central government. Although it is brief it leads to future generations and can change when needed b ecause there is an amendment process. The Constitution has a preamble which describes the basis and purposes of government. The body of the Constitution is divided into seven articles which is broken up into sections and amendments. The Constitution still continues to work today because it leads to the future generations, and it is non-specific. The Constitution can be interpreted differently as the time changes, and it also has an amendment process. In the preamble it describes the basis and purposes of government. It has not changed much since it was created, and has a base of twenty-seven amendments with the first ten the Bill of Rights. The Constitution was successful because it established a government that applied to the nation and met most of the nation?s concerns. Unlike the Articles of Confederation it gave power to the states and to the government and not just a state. The Articles of Confederation failed because it could not have a main control over any state. Each state had its own set of laws. The Articles of Confederation was bound to fail because of its lack and weak control.