HIST 405 - Historical Essay

HIST 405 - Historical Essay As with anything in this world there are always strengths and weaknesses when people are comparing two different items, as no one item can be a perfect solution; there are always compromises. The same happens when we are comparing the Articles of Confederation and the New Constitution of 1787. Both of these two solutions each have their own strengths and weaknesses. First we have the Articles of Confederation that when written gave each state a lot of individual powers, and because of this was one of the main reasons for the New Constitution, and I want to show how these two solutions are different, and how the New Constitution uses some of the same concepts that make up the Articles of Constitution. I would first like to take a look at the Articles of Confederation, and explore some of the strengths and weaknesses that came as a result of adopting it. The Continental Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation on November 15, 1777. One of the main weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation was that although it was able to produce a confederation of sovereign states, it was also responsible for weakening the central government, as the Articles of Confederation gave almost all of the power to the individual state governments. With the individual state gaining more power, the national government found it extremely difficult to force the state to obey their laws, and especially taxes, which made it difficult for the government to raise funds, and regulate commerce. On the other hand the Articles of Confederation also had some strengths as well. The Articles of Confederation made it possible for the national government to be able mint coins, as well as an ability to borrow money in times of need, but the main strength was an ability to declare war on others, and even sign peace treaties. Even with these strengths, the weaknesses were far greater. According to the famed historian Edmund S. Morgan “When the Articles of Confederation were drafted, Americans had had little experience of what a national government could do for them and bitter experience of what an arbitrary government could do to them. In creating a central government they were therefore more concerned with keeping it under control than with giving it the means to do its job” (Morgan, 1956). The people were scared, and therefore created a solution that was more concerned with holding powers in check, which left many holes, and a government with no power. Next I would like to explore the weaknesses and strengths about the New Constitution that the Constitutional Convention adopted in September 1787. Not so long after the Articles of Confederation were enacted, some citizens started to feel