The Articles represented a victory for those who favored state sovereignty. Article 2 stated that "each State retains its sovereignty, freedom and independence, and every power...which is not...expressly delegated to the United States.…" Any amendment required unanimous consent of the states. Show
The Articles of Confederation created a national government composed of a Congress, which had the power to declare war, appoint military officers, sign treaties, make alliances, appoint foreign ambassadors, and manage relations with Indians. All states were represented equally in Congress, and nine of the 13 states had to approve a bill before it became law. Under the Articles, the states, not Congress, had the power to tax. Congress could raise money only by asking the states for funds, borrowing from foreign governments, or selling western lands. In addition, Congress could not draft soldiers or regulate trade. There was no provision for national courts. The Articles of Confederation did not include a president. The states feared another George III might threaten their liberties. The new framework of government also barred delegates from serving more than three years in any six year period. The Articles of Confederation created a very weak central government. It is noteworthy that the Confederation Congress could not muster a quorum to ratify on time the treaty that guaranteed American independence, nor could it pay the expense of sending the ratified treaty back to Europe. The Articles' framers assumed that republican virtue would lead to states to carry out their duties and obey congressional decisions. But the states refused to make their contributions to the central government. Its acts were "as little heeded as the cries of an oysterman." As a result, Congress had to stop paying interest on the public debt. The Continental army threatened to mutiny over lack of pay. A series of events during the 1780s convinced a group of national leaders that the Articles of Confederation provided a wholly inadequate framework of government. On July 12, 1776, a little over a week after the Declaration of Independence, the Continental Congress introduced the Articles of Confederation. They were an attempt to loosely knit the 13 states together in a Union, while leaving most authority to the individual states themselves. In short, the Articles of Confederation granted Congress with the power to raise armies, declare war, and sign treaties, but prohibited Congress from other things such as the power of taxation, regulating trade, or collecting tariffs. The Articles of Confederation were signed by such statesmen as John Hancock, Samuel Adams, and John Witherspoon.After a few years of debate, the original 13 states finally ratified the Articles of Confederation on March 1, 1781. This became the authorizing document for the U.S. federal government for over six years. During those six years, the central government stepped-in to deal with an increasing number of states’ rights issues such as taxes and trade. Many founders got worried that the states would lose more and more rights if the federal government was allowed to get more and more powerful. As a result, on May 25, 1787, the Continental Congress met in Philadelphia to revise the Articles of Confederation. However, instead of revising them, the representatives ended up replacing them altogether with one of the most significant documents in world history, the United States Constitution. We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. After Benjamin Franklin left the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, he was asked:
Indeed, the United States of America is a “republic,” a system of government where power is granted to representatives elected by the people. America is also a “constitutional republic,” where the representatives are limited by a set of rules approved by the people. Although the U.S. isn’t a straight democracy, its representatives are democratically elected. Therefore, as American citizens, we participate in ruling ourselves. When we pledge allegiance to the Flag “and to the republic for which it stands,” we are basically pledging allegiance to being in charge of ourselves, exercising our authority through the government representatives we pick. However, as our founders warned us, a republic only lasts as long as its citizens have morals, values, and self-control. In 1798, John Adams said:
During debates about the U.S. Constitution, the founders continually voiced concern about giving their new government too much power. They had just fought a war to free themselves from the monarchy in Britain, so they were totally done with that system of tyranny. George Washington delivered a simple recommendation to the drafters of the Constitution:
Following George Washington’s lead, some of the founders insisted on more so-called “checks and barriers against the introduction of tyranny.” These men were called “anti-federalists,” and included Samuel Adams, Patrick Henry, and George Mason. They feared the new federal government might become too powerful and take away individual liberties, as King George III had done in Britain. They pushed for “restrictive clauses” that should be added to the Constitution to prevent an abuse of federal power. George Mason was an anti-federalist and a delegate to the Constitutional Convention, where he helped write the U.S. Constitution. His hard stance on “checks and barriers” earned him the title, “Father of the Bill of Rights.” The first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution are known as the Bill of Rights. They stand as the foundation for American principles such as individual liberty, limited government, and the rule of law.  The First Amendment is perhaps the broadest and most famous of the Bill of Rights. It recites our inherent freedoms of speech, press, religion, assembly, and petitioning our government. Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. Without these individual rights, we really don’t have a free and functioning republic. Without our freedom of political opinions, moral convictions, and religious values, we would quickly return to an authoritarian regime, where one party controls everything. With respect to religion, President Ronald Reagan said:
The Second Amendment protects our right to bear arms. The Third Amendment protects us against the housing of soldiers in our homes. The Fourth through Eighth Amendments focus on our rights to a fair system of justice, including protections against unreasonable searches, unfair trials, and cruel and unusual punishment. The last two amendments – the 9th and 10th – spell out that the list of individual protections in the Bill of Rights is not meant to exclude others. By contrast, all powers claimed by the federal government must be expressly stated in the Constitution. Powers not granted to the federal government in the U.S. Constitution belong to the states or the people. In America today, this seems more important to remember than ever before. The Articles of Confederation, Constitution, and Bill of Rights Randall Niles Randall acts as the lead writer for ColdWater’s Drive Thru History® TV series and Drive Thru History® “Adventures” curriculum. What legislation did the Articles of Confederation have?The Articles of Confederation created a national government composed of a Congress, which had the power to declare war, appoint military officers, sign treaties, make alliances, appoint foreign ambassadors, and manage relations with Indians.
What type of legislature did the United States have under the Articles of Confederation quizlet?The government under the Articles of Confederation consisted of a unicameral legislature.
What were the two pieces of legislation that was passed during the Articles of Confederation?The government conducted the affairs of the country during the last two years of the Revolutionary War, helped to negotiate the Treaty of Paris in 1783, and produced two monumental pieces of legislation in the Land Ordinance of 1785 and the Northwest Ordinance of 1787.
What was the US like under the Articles of Confederation?Under the Articles of Confederation, the central government's power was kept quite limited. The Confederation Congress could make decisions but lacked enforcement powers. Implementation of most decisions, including modifications to the Articles, required unanimous approval of all thirteen state legislatures.
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