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The evolution of american federalism since the founding
The evolution of american federalism since the founding
The evolution of american federalism since the founding
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The first time a unified government structure went into effect was on March 1, 1781, when the Article of Confederation went into effect to unify the 13 colonies that fought in the Revolutionary War into one country. The Articles of Confederation was an extremely flawed document that gave way to many rights and liberties to the individual states, and not enough power to a centralized government. The main problem with the Articles of Confederation was that they left the national government powerless to enforce any laws that they might have passed. Under the Articles of Confederation, each state printed its own money and there was no nationwide economy. Eventually the Articles of Confederation was replaced by the United States Constitution, which is still the governing document of the United States today. As the weakness that the Articles possessed became apparent, people began wanting changes in their government. Eventually as more interest was gained by more states, meetings were set up in Philadelphia on May 25, 1787. This was the Constitutional Convention. Many were very suspicious of the intentions of the convention. They suspected that it was a ploy by some to create a strong central government that would limit individual liberties and could endanger the freedom of the individual people. George Washington was nominated to preside over the convention, which was a good thing in that Washington was an extremely trusted man, and having him preside eased the fears of some of the participants. At first the intentions of the convention were to make necessary changes to the Articles of Confederation. It was quickly realized that this would not be sufficient, and that a whole new document would need to be created, this le... ... middle of paper ... ...ines and protects our rights and freedoms as citizens and provides the framework for how our Government is ran. By recognizing how impossible it would be for one government to be able to govern and protect all of the people of a large nation, the Constitution deals with the principles of individual liberty and limited government. The Constitution protects the rights of all citizens, regardless of religion and ethnic group, and makes it possible for people of all different backgrounds to live peacefully in the same nation. References: Johnson, C. H. (2003). HOMAGE TO CLIO: THE HISTORICAL CONTINUITY FROM THE ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION INTO THE CONSTITUTION. Constitutional Commentary, 20(3), 463-513. Brown, B. (2013). THE FIGHT OVER THE CONSTITUTION. Junior Scholastic, 116(2), 10. Nankin, F. (1995). The Constitution of the United States. Cobblestone, 16(1), 10.