In Order To Form A More Perfect Union Dbq

“We the people of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessing of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” (Greenholt 185). This is the preamble to the beloved Constitution of the United States. In this one sentence, the Constitution gives a sense of hope and nostalgia to the American reader. Looking at the first line, you will see that it says, “…in Order to form a more perfect Union…” (Greenholt 185). That implies that there was a union before that they were planning to improve upon with this document. What union are they

speaking of? America’s first Constitution, the Articles of the Confederation. These Articles are often overlooked and thought of as ‘lesser’ than the Constitution. And, yes, the Articles were not perfect, but no human designed form of government can be. The Articles brought this country through some very difficult times and deserves to be acknowledged and looked at as an important part of America’s history because of what it is, who wrote it and why they wrote it, the great struggles it took to implement and change it and how it affected our government and its history.
The Articles of the Confederation was more than America’s first constitution, it was America’s first form of government.

It declared our official name, laid out the powers of the states and congress, and how all affairs would be managed, and who would be managing them. Under the Articles, the states, at the time there were only 13, remained sovereign and dealt with taxes, commerce, and other similar issues themselves. Their federal government, which was made up by the congress, dealt with foreign affairs, war the postal service, appoint military officers, control Indian affairs, borrow money, determine the value of coin, and deal with issues of bill credit. These issues would be decided by a vote. Each states’ citizens would annually elect a certain amount of legislators (depending on the state) to represent them in congress. Each state was allowed one vote which would be determined by the majority of its legislators. This is similar to our current congress, only the former had more power. So, who wrote this and why was it

written?
Many great men played a part in the writing of the Articles of the Confederation, and all did so for similar reasons. America’s need for a government during the time of the Revolutionary War was urgent. America needed to have some form of government in place, especially if they won the war, and America needed foreign recognition and aid during and after the war. The writers of the Articles knew this and many drafts were submitted to the Continental Congress for consideration. The first draft was submitted by Benjamin Franklin in July 1775, but his draft was basically ignored by the Congress. The second draft was written by Silas Deane, a delegate from Connecticut, who submitted it to congress later in 1775. This draft was followed by a draft from the Connecticut delegation, which was presumed to be a revision of Deane’s. None of these drafts were adopted by the Congress, and did not overly influence the final version’s writer. John Dickinson, a man from Pennsylvania, presented his draft to the Continental Congress in June 1776. His draft was revised and discussed by the Congress in July and August of that same year. After much revision, the Continental Congress adopted the final Articles and approved them for presentation to the states in November 1777. But this was not the end of the battle for the Articles of the Confederation.
Although the Continental Congress had adopted the Articles, the states still had to approve them.

By 1779 all of the states had accepted the Articles, except one, Maryland. Maryland, being a small state, was afraid that the southern states with all of their claims to western territory, would have more representation than it in congress. It took two more years and Virginia giving up all claims to western land for Maryland to finally accept the Articles. And in 1781, the Articles of the Confederation were ratified by all 13 states. But being accepted did not mean that there weren’t changes to be made. Over the next three years, 3 land ordinances were proposed, the Ordinance of 1784, the Land Ordinance of 1785, and the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, and one Indian policy in 1786. The Ordinance of 1784 was proposed by Thomas Jefferson. It explained how the trans-Appalachian West was to be divided into 16 new states that would come into the Union equal to the original 13 states. The Land Ordinance of 1785 was sort of a revision of the Ordinance of 1784. It broke up the west into thirty-six 640 acre sections, townships, to be auctioned off at two dollars an acre. The Northwest Ordinance of 1787lays out how territories can seek and receive statehood. It also declared that there would be no slave states north of the Ohio River. The Indian policy in 1786 gave Indians the rights to their land, and Indian commissioners were appointed to deal in treaties with the Indians. These were

some of the major changes made to the Articles, but many were still not satisfied with them.
The Articles of the Confederation were considered one of the most successful Revolutionary legislatures in the history of Western Civilization, but it was not perfect. Over time, the politicians became corrupt and many Federalists felt that their federal government was too weak. So in 1787, a group of men held the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, and that was the beginning of the end for the Articles. Although they did not last long, the Articles of the Confederation brought this country through some very difficult times and deserves to be acknowledged as an important part of America’s history because of it was our first constitution, it was written by honorable men for honorable reasons, the great struggles it took to implement and change it and how it affected our government and its history.