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| | ==The Articles of Confederation== | | ==The Articles of Confederation== |
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| − | Before and during the war, the [[Continental Congress]] met repeatedly to organize war efforts and address issues common to all the colonies. This Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776 and proposed the Articles of Confederation in 1777. The Declaration of Independence, which we honor on July 4th, first coined the name the "United States of America" as follows: the "unanimous Declaration of the thirteen United States of America." On November 15, 1777, this name was formally given to the new country when the Second Continental Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation. Its first Article states: "The Stile of this Confederacy shall be 'The United States of America.'" (Sometimes the term "Confederation" is also used to describe the union under the Articles of Confederation.) | + | Before and during the war, the [[Continental Congress]] met repeatedly to organize war efforts and try to govern all the colonies. This Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776 and proposed the Articles of Confederation in 1777. The Declaration of Independence, which we honor on July 4th, first coined the name the "United States of America" as follows: the "unanimous Declaration of the thirteen United States of America." On November 15, 1777, this name was formally given to the new country when the Second Continental Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation. Its first Article states: "The Stile of this Confederacy shall be 'The United States of America.'" Thus it was the [[Articles of Confederation]], not the [[Constitution]], that first established the [[United States of America]]. The Articles of Confederation were ratified by all 13 colonies in 1781, which converted them from "colonies" into "states". But due to flaws in the Articles of Confederation, they lasted only eight (8) years, and were replaced by the Constitution in 1789. |
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| − | Thus it was the [[Articles of Confederation]], not the [[Constitution]], that first established the [[United States of America]]. The Articles of Confederation were ratified by all 13 colonies in 1781, and converted them from "colonies" into "states". But due to flaws in the Articles of Confederation, they lasted only eight (8) years, and were replaced by the Constitution in 1789.
| + | The Articles of Confederation is a long and detailed document, available now on the internet, which expressly includes many powers and rights that are left unsaid by the subsequent Constitution. The Articles expressly authorized the people to recall their representatives, for example. |
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| | The Articles provided for a unicameral (one body) Congress to govern the states. There was no president (imagine that!), but rather a committee formed of one representative from each state who wielded executive authority. There were no federal (national) courts (imagine that also!). | | The Articles provided for a unicameral (one body) Congress to govern the states. There was no president (imagine that!), but rather a committee formed of one representative from each state who wielded executive authority. There were no federal (national) courts (imagine that also!). |
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| − | '''Debate: Does the United States really need a president?''' | + | '''Debate: Does the United States really need an office of president?''' |
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| | The Articles of Confederation created a very weak national government, with the states retaining most of the power for themselves. The Articles required approval by nine (9) out of the 13 states to pass laws. Not even a simple majority vote (e.g., 7-6) was enough to pass legislation. And unanimous approval was required to amend the Articles. Those percentages were simply too high for a collection of states that were very different from each other. Now that the focus was off gaining freedom and onto building a new nation, the states had much less to agree about and they began to bicker and argue, and even tax each others' goods. | | The Articles of Confederation created a very weak national government, with the states retaining most of the power for themselves. The Articles required approval by nine (9) out of the 13 states to pass laws. Not even a simple majority vote (e.g., 7-6) was enough to pass legislation. And unanimous approval was required to amend the Articles. Those percentages were simply too high for a collection of states that were very different from each other. Now that the focus was off gaining freedom and onto building a new nation, the states had much less to agree about and they began to bicker and argue, and even tax each others' goods. |
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| | Under the Articles of Confederation, Congress was given the power to declare war, raise an army and navy, make commercial treaties, borrow money, control currency, and levy assessments against the states. But Congress lacked the power to impose taxes on the people to pay for any of that. It could ask the states for money, but could not force them to pay. The power to raise an army is almost meaningless without the means to raise money to pay the army. | | Under the Articles of Confederation, Congress was given the power to declare war, raise an army and navy, make commercial treaties, borrow money, control currency, and levy assessments against the states. But Congress lacked the power to impose taxes on the people to pay for any of that. It could ask the states for money, but could not force them to pay. The power to raise an army is almost meaningless without the means to raise money to pay the army. |
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| − | Congress under the Articles of Confederation was destined to be very weak from the beginning, and demands for a stronger form of national government began to grow. But others opposed a strong national government, asking why people had fought in the American Revolution if they were just going to replace one hated government with another.
| + | '''In sum, the Articles of Confederation created a very weak national government, too weak to accomplish what needed to be done'''. A new convention was convened in Philadelphia to fix the Articles, but instead it created a whole new system of government. |
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| | ==Foreign Policy Problems under the Articles of Confederation== | | ==Foreign Policy Problems under the Articles of Confederation== |