Articles Of Confederation Dbq

The Articles of Confederation, one of the first attempts at a nation-wide government, was created in November of 1777 (Roark p. 229), though it was not adopted until 1781 (Roark p. 230). Instead of a large and powerful central government, many of the framers sought a looser confederacy of states, with a central government that could only declare either war or peace, engage in foreign relations, establish a postal service, and regulate trade (Roark p. 229). They also sought to create a government that would not have an executive branch and would be unable to issue direct taxes. In essence, the framers did not want to create the very type of sovereign power that they had just rebelled against.

One of the most limiting factors that affected the adoption of the Articles was the mandatory unanimity that ultimately hindered adoption until four years and many drafts after the creation of the Articles (Roark p. 230). Because the framers did not wish to have a lack of representation, which would largely resemble the American situation with the British, the Confederation required a minimum of two representatives from at least seven states in order for the Congress to convene (Roark p. 230). Another feature that reflected

the desire for a non-oppressive government was the sovereignty of states. Instead of having one unified sovereign nation, each state was allowed to ratify its own constitution (Roark p. 232).

Because it was the first attempt at a centralized, non-intrusive government, the Articles of Confederation had many flaws that prevented it from becoming the prevailing governmental system.

One of the largest issues that the Articles faced was the inability to enforce taxes (Roark p. 237). Due to the large amount of debt that was generated from engaging in war, establishing western settlements, and the formation of peace with Indians (Roark p. 237), the confederation government had an enormous debt that they could not resolve. Another large problem was the Articles’ inability to administer, sell, or determine the borders of new territories (Roark p. 230). The result of this was a lack of a plan to expand the United States and stagnation in possible

growth.

The confederacy did, however, succeed in steering the founding fathers in the direction that would eventually lead to the present Constitution and a strong, three-branched government. One of the most impactful actions carried out during the confederacy was the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, which was one of three land acts that set precedence for the assumption of statehood (Roark p. 241). The process laid out three steps that would allow settled territories to become states. Another remarkable achievement was the prohibition of slavery in the new Northwest Territory, which was accepted in the 1787 ordinance (Roark p. 242).