Us Constitution Dbq

459 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: Major differences between articles of confederation and constitution

The US Constitution established America's national government and fundamental laws. After gaining independence, America set themselves apart from others in a whole new way. Diverging away from the idea of a monarchical government, Americans created a new form of government based off of republicanism. Working together, they called it the Articles of Confederation. The Articles of Confederation is a written document within the Constitution that states the functions of the national government after the United States’ declared independence from Great Britain. The Continental Congress “adopted the Articles of Confederation, and would be the first constitution of the United States, on November 15, 1777. However, ratification of the Articles of Confederation by all thirteen states did not occur until March 1, 1781.” (www.loc.gov, The Articles of Confederation) About six drafts of the articles were being prepared for Congress. Ben Franklin wore the original draft and presented to Congress, but never formally considered. By 1779 all states had approved except …show more content…

While fixing the issues of the Articles of Confederation, the new constitution also led to fighting between different groups, and making compromises which led to ultimately winning ratification. The US constitution was written with great detail and speculation on the economy. In producing Constitution, it provides the laws and rights of the people of the land and directs its attention to many of the problems this country has. This Constitution was greater at the central government power and was weaker at the state level. Congress was given the power to tax, regulate trade between the states, raise an army, etc. A three-branch government was established in which a judicial branch handled disputes in a federal court system, a President the head of the executive branch, and a legislative

Show More
Related

  • Us Constitution Dbq Essay

    760 Words  | 2 Pages

    From five states arose delegates who would soon propose an idea that would impact the United States greatly. The idea was to hold a meeting in Philadelphia called the Constitutional Convention in 1787 meant to discuss the improvements for the Articles of Confederation and would later be called the United States Constitution. The United States Constitution was greatly influenced by Ancient Rome, the Enlightenment, and Colonial Grievances.

    Read More

  • Separation Of Powers Dbq Analysis

    742 Words  | 2 Pages

    Before the Constitution was drafted, the United States’ budding government, now independent from Great Britain, acted under a dysfunctional constitution called the Articles of Confederation. Although this constitution kept the new nation running, there were still flaws that needed to be fixed. The Articles of Confederation lacked a developed executive or judicial branch and a method for the main government to collect taxes from state governments, according to the background essay of the DBQ Packet. An assembly of fifty-five men eventually gathered for a Constitutional Convention in order to write a new constitution that would better satisfy the people’s needs. The trouble of creating another constitution lied behind creating a document

    Read More

  • Faulty Republicanism of the Articles of Confederation

    1330 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Americans after obtaining independence from England needed to establish a form of government. Before the war had ended, the Second Congress of the Confederation called for the drafting of a new government in order to govern this new country, which the Articles of Confederation established. The Articles of Confederation built a government solely based off republican ideals, such as civic virtue, the idea that the states and the people will make sacrifices to the common good in order to benefit everybody. Relying on civic virtue did not pull through as successful for the young country. The Articles of Confederation shone through as successful in organizing and establishing states in the Old Northwest, spreading republican ideals; however, the success of the Articles of Confederation was trumped by its failures. The Articles of Confederation failed to provide a new and young United States with an effective government in its inability to collect tax revenue to pay debts, controlling the mobocratic uprising of upset factions, and dealing with foreign policies; additionally, the failure of the Articles of Confederation revealed the inefficiency and failure of republicanism.

    Read More

  • Articles of Confederation vs. Constitution

    1404 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Articles of Confederation was the nation’s first Constitution. The articles created a loose Confederation of independent states that gave limited powers to the central government. Each state would have one vote in the House of Congress, no matter the size of the population. Members of the one-house Congress, such as Pennsylvania, agreed that the new government should be a unicameral legislature, without an executive branch or a separate judiciary. Under the article, there wasn’t a strong independent executive.

    Read More

  • Articles of Confederation Remedied by The Constitution

    1723 Words  | 4 Pages

    The year of 1776 was a time of revolution, independence, and patriotism. American colonists had severed their umbilical cord to the Mother Country and declared themselves “Free and Independent States”.1 The chains of monarchy had been thrown off and a new government was formed. Shying away from a totalitarian government, the Second Continental Congress drafted a document called the Articles of Confederation which established a loose union of the states. It was an attempt at self-government that ended in failure. The Articles of Confederation had many defects which included a weak central government that lacked the power to tax, regulate trade, required equal representation and a unanimous vote to amend the Articles, and had only a legislative branch. As a result the United States lacked respect from foreign countries. These flaws were so severe that a new government had to be drafted and as a result the Constitution was born. This document remedied the weak points of the federal government and created one that was strong and fair, yet still governed by the people.

    Read More

  • Creation of the United States Constitution

    1236 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Articles of Confederation was America’s first constitution. The Articles of Confederation failed to create a strong central government, however. With the demise of the states in sight, the need for a stronger and more structured central government became apparent. An invitation was sent to all thirteen states in February 1787 by the Confederation Congress to resolve the matter. The events that took place over the next several months would create the United States Constitution. Going down in history as a revolutionary form of government, the U.S. Constitution would give life to a country that is still running strong over 200 years later.

    Read More

  • The Articles Of Confederation And The Constitution: An In-Depth Analysis

    934 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Articles of Confederation were approved by Congress on November 15, 1777 and ratified by the states on March 1, 1781. It was a modest attempt by a new country to unite itself and form a national government. The Articles set up a Confederation that gave most of the power to the states. Many problems arose and so a new Constitution was written in 1787 in Independence Hall. The new Constitution called for a much more unified government with a lot more power.

    Read More

  • Has the U.S. Lived up to its Founding Principles?

    1300 Words  | 3 Pages

    The central government could not regulate commerce between states, deal with foreign governments or settle disputes. The country was falling apart at its seams. The central government could not provide assistance to the state because there wasn’t a central army. When they realized that the Articles of Confederation was not up to par, they held a convention, known as the Constitutional Convention of 1787. As a result of this, the Constitution was written....

    Read More

  • Democratic and Undemocratic Aspects of the Constitutional Convention

    1373 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Articles of Confederation was the first government of the United States. The Articles had created a very weak national government. At the time the Articles were approved, they had served the will of the people. Americans had just fought a war to get freedom from a great national authority--King George III (Patterson 34). But after this government was put to use, it was evident that it was not going to keep peace between the states. The conflicts got so frequent and malicious that George Washington wondered if the “United” States should be called a Union (Patterson 35). Shays’ Rebellion finally made it evident to the public that the government needed a change.

    Read More

  • A comparison and contrast of the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution of 1787

    967 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Articles of Confederation voted on and adopted by the Continental Congress, November 15, 1777 (Carey, 2013). It was the first constitution of America, though complete ratification of the Articles of Confederation by all thirteen states did not take place until March 1, 1781. After some of the states realized that the Articles of Confederation did not adequately resolve the national and international issues that the United States was facing. As a result, on March 4, 1789, the Articles of Confederation were then replaced by the new Constitution of 1787. This new constitution was signed by the members of the Constitutional Convention on September 17, 1787 in Philadelphia (Grubb, 2006). In the new constitution, members tried to strengthen the central government. The new constitution was the demand of time. It was more practical. It was broader than the article of Confederation. Under article of Confederation, states were free to form their military. But under the new Constitution of 1787, this power was taken from the states and given to the centre. In new constitution, foreign affair and defense department was given to federal government. No state was given power to sign treaties with other nations. Some changes were also brought in the composition of congress under the new constitution. Now, seats in Congress were decided on the basis of the population of each state.

    Read More

  • U.S. Constitution

    430 Words  | 1 Pages

    The document I chose to write about is the United States Constitution. When the thirteen British colonies in North America declared their independence in 1776, they laid down that “governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” The “colonies” had to establish a government, which would be the framework for the United States. The purpose of a written constitution is to define and therefore more specifically limit government powers. After the Articles of Confederation failed to work in the 13 colonies, the U.S. Constitution was created in 1787.

    Read More

  • Structure of the Federal Court System

    1304 Words  | 3 Pages

    Before the adoption of the United States Constitution, the U.S. was governed by the Articles of Confederation. These articles stated that almost every function of the government was chartered by the legislature known as Congress. There was no distinction between legislative or executive powers. This was a major shortcoming in how the United States was governed as many leaders became dissatisfied with how the government was structured by the Articles of Confederation. They felt that the government was too weak to effectively deal with the upcoming challenges. In 1787, an agreement was made by delegates at the Constitutional Convention that a national judiciary needed to be established. This agreement became known as The Constitution of the United States, which explicitly granted certain powers to each of the three branches of the federal government, while reserving other powers exclusively to the states or to the people as individuals. It is, in its own words, “the supreme Law of the Land” (Shmoop Editorial Team).

    Read More

  • The Creation Of The Constitution

    1073 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Constitution that was created had a strong central government and weaker state governments. Under the Constitution, Congress was given the power to levy taxes, regulate trade between the states, raise an army, control interstate commerce, and more. A three-branch government was established in which a judicial branch handled disputes in a federal court system, a President headed an executive branch, and a legislative branch. Conversely, the anti-federalists believed in weak central and strong state governments, as the way it was in The Articles of Confederation and believed in strict adherence to the writings of the constitution.

    Read More

  • The Bill of Rights

    1279 Words  | 3 Pages

    After the Revolution, the States adopted their own constitutions, many of which contained a Bill of Rights. The Americans still faced the challenge of creating a central government for their new nation. In 1777 the Continental Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation, which were ratified in 1781. Under the Articles, the states retained their “sovereignty, freedom and independence,” while the national government was kept weak and inferior. Over the next few years it became evident that the system of government that had been chosen was not strong enough to completely settle and defend the frontier, regulating trade, currency and commerce, and organizing thirteen states into one union.

    Read More

  • American Political Framework Analysis

    236 Words  | 1 Pages

    The American political framework has changed all through time from numerous points of view. A standout amongst the most crucial records that impacted the constitution and took into account an adjustment in the government framework was the Articles of Confederation. The Articles of Confederation, considered a relationship amongst states, and in the wake of being drafted by congress amid the war, it bound the states together as a union. The articles of confederation were sanctioned amid war, when it was believed to be more president, and was the first and unique composed constitution of the United States. The requirement for a more grounded union amid the American Revolution, pushed for some to trust that there must be arrange in the republic.

    Read More

More about Us Constitution Dbq

Open Document