...The United states constitution overcame the weakness of the Articles of Confederation and provided for the organization of the new government. In the 1700’s, in the thirteen original colonies, the Americans won the Revolutionary war, and they decided they needed a government. The Articles of Confederation is what the continental congress made a plan for as a whole. The constitutional convention was ran by the legislature which caused the great compromises. The constitution was written by delegates and each state had to hold a convention to approve of the constitution but not everyone agreed about the constitution and that it should be ratified. In the late 1700’s the thirteen original colonies needed a government so they came up with the articles...
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...The Article of Confederation was a scripted arrangement, which was approved by the thirteen original states of the United States. The Article of Confederation contains procedures as to how the United States government was thought to operate. The Article of Confederation is sometimes called Articles; it was created in November 1777 and approved by thirteen original states in March 1781 (Cheek, 2016). The Founding Fathers of the United States subjected a severe criticism a few years after the approval of The Article of Confederation. This led to a decision for the Article of Confederation to be altered to satisfy the nation. The delegates from the thirteen states met in Philadelphia in May 1787 to review the Article of Confederation. In concluding, the delegation members made a common decision that reworking the whole Constitution was better than reviewing the current Article of Confederation (Cheek, 2016). The United States Constitution is reflected to be the supreme law in the United States of America today. It specifies the standards for the association of the United States government. The foundation of the new constitution was created because of the several complications with the Articles. The...
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...The Constitution is important to America because it was the document that had founded our government. It was the basis of what would form the United States. It outlines all of our rights as citizens and gives a complete list of all the things we can do, and the rights that we have. The Constitution is the most important document ever crafted in American History, it had developed the representation of the Great Compromise, it had addressed the weaknesses in the Articles of Confederation, and it addressed the complaints in the Declaration of Independence The Great Compromise was an agreement amongst the nations with the Connetticut delegates Roger Sherman and Oliver Elsworth. The delegates had decided that the American government would have two houses in Congress: The senate where each state has two Senators, and the House of Representatives where each state has a number of Representatives based on population,in other words, a bicameral system. The Great Compromise provided that membership in the House of Representatives would be in proportion to the states population and members would be elected by all of the voters in the state. while the membership of Senates would be equal. The Articles of Confederation were the original document in the United States that had served as the Supreme law and sought to combine the disparate colonies under a single governmental entity until the Constitution had replaced The Articles of Confederation completely. Established during the revolutionary...
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...The Articles of Confederation was an agreement between the founding thirteen states that established the United States of America. While the Articles of Confederation had its flaws, it did serve an important purpose at the time it was written. Some of the strong points include: the Land Ordinance of 1785, the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, defined territories, and establishment of an adequate temporary government. At the time, the American colonies had suffered under the long tyranny of England’s King George III and the American colonies’ primary goal was to establish a government in which its people would be protected from such domination. The Articles of Confederation did this, claiming very little power over individual states and people. Furthermore, in the Articles of Confederation territories and rules between states were explicitly laid out, with states gaining an understanding of how they played into the federal government. Lastly, the Land and Northwest Ordinances of 1785 and 1787 respectively were established in the Articles of Confederation. The Land Ordinance defined the general practices of land surveying and land ownership provisions. This ordinance was considered a success, in that may people were able to purchase and secure land with very little trouble. The Northwest Ordinance required some of the original states to give up land near the Ohio River. This land was later used for the development of five new states. Furthermore, the Northwest Ordinance abolished slavery...
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...The Confederation and the Constitution | | | | | Shortly after Thomas Jefferson penned the Declaration of Independence in 1776, the delegates at the Second Continental Congress agreed that a new government was necessary to govern the now-independent colonies. After much debate, they drafted and adopted the Articles of Confederation in 1777. Although the Articles were not officially ratified until 1781, they served as the actual constitution until that time. Under the authority of the Articles, the states created a national Congress comprised of annually elected delegates from all thirteen states. Each state had one vote in Congress, and, in most cases, decisions were made based on majority rule. The National Congress’ powers over the states were specific and definite: it had the sole power to negotiate treaties, declare war, and make peace. It also reserved the right to maintain an army and navy and regulated interaction with Native Americans in the West. The delegates also granted Congress the power to resolve interstate disputes, grant loans, print money, and operate a national postal system. Eventually, Congress was also authorized to govern western territories until they achieved statehood. All powers not granted to Congress were reserved for state governments. Congress had no power to levy taxes. For example, it could only request that the individual states raise revenue to cover their share of national expenses. Furthermore, any amendments made to the Articles...
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...Articles of the Confederation vs. Constitution HIS 115 December 10, 2012 The Articles of Confederation and the Constitution are two contrasting documents written by the Founding Fathers. The documents are very different from one another yet they share a few rare similarities. The weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation prompted Congress to scrap them and begin again with the Constitution. Not all problems were solved by the Constitution, but they were significantly reduced. In any case, the Constitution, the foundation of America, has stood for centuries with very few revisions. Comparing the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution is difficult because the two documents are so innately different. However, there are several notable similarities. In both documents, the United States had a representative government. States would elect a number of officials to assemble in Congress which was headed by a president. This assembly had the power to arbitrate between states. Interestingly, Congress was given power to conscript a navy but not an army. Perhaps they were more concerned about attack by sea than by land. Differences are much more readily found when comparing the Articles and the Constitution. The biggest difference between the two was that the states were sovereign under the Articles of Confederation whereas the Constitution gave the federal government sovereignty. Under the Constitution, the three-branch, checks and balance system of governing was established...
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...to the Constitution State Governments - Forerunner of the constitution State governments in the United States are those republics formed by citizens in the jurisdiction thereof as provided by the United States Constitution, with the original 13 states forming the first Articles of Confederation, and later the aforementioned Constitution. Within the U.S. constitution are provisions as to the formation of new states within the Union. The Mayflower Compact was the first and true forerunner to the written constitution in America. It was also the forerunner to the articles of confederation. The declaration of independence and the articles of confederation. Articles and Constitutional Convention The Constitutional Convention (also known as the Philadelphia Convention, the Federal Convention, or the Grand Convention at Philadelphia) took place from May 25 to September 17, 1787, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to address problems in governing the United States of America, which had been operating under the Articles of Confederation following independence from Great Britain. Although the Convention was intended to revise the Articles of Confederation, the intention from the outset of many of its proponents, chief among them James Madison and Alexander Hamilton, was to create a new government rather than fix the existing one. The delegates elected George Washington to preside over the Convention. The result of the Convention was the creation of the United States Constitution, placing...
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...Grant M. Ritchie POS-301 November 16, 2014 Jonathan Roeder Constitutional Timeline Our Founding Fathers relied on the information found in the Magna Carta, Mayflower Compact, Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, and Federalist Papers to help draft the United States Constitution. These documents played a significant role in developing the United States of America. I believe without the support of these documents the Constitution would never existed. Those who created the Magna Carta brought on some of the liberties we appropriate today. The Magna Carta’s one important law includes freedom of the church. The freedom is also in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution which states freedom of religion. King John was forced to sign this document in 1215. “The Magna Carta also imposed limitations of the King of England and established a parliamentary form of government with powers to act on the citizens behalf,” (AuBuchan, 2001, p. 1). The Magna Carta is comparable to the constitutional form of government which establishes Legislative, Executive, and Judicial branches. The Magna Carta contained due process which led to trial by jury also included under Article Three Section Two of the U.S. Constitution. The words of the Fifth Amendment are mentioned in the Magna Carta. Rough seas and storms stopped the Mayflower from reaching their destination. The settlers ended up in Cape Cod. “Mayflower Compact, document was signed on the English ship Mayflower...
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...University of Phoenix Material Influences on the Constitution Table Write one or two paragraphs in each section. Include citations for your sources. Documents Summary What was its influence on the Constitution? Magna Carta Magna Carta, also called Magna Carta Libertatum or The Great Charter of the Liberties of England, is an English charter, originally issued in Latin in the year 1215, translated into vernacular-French as early as 1219,[1] and reissued later in the 13th century in changed versions. The later versions excluded the most direct challenges to the monarch's authority that had been present in the 1215 charter. The charter first passed into law in 1225; the 1297 version, with the long title (originally in Latin) "The Great Charter of the Liberties of England, and of the Liberties of the Forest," still remains on the statute books of England and Wales. The 1215 charter required King John of England to proclaim certain liberties, and accept that his will was not arbitrary, for example by explicitly accepting that no "freeman" (in the sense of non-serf) could be punished except through the law of the land, a right which is still in existence today. Magna Carta was the principal document forced onto an English King by a group of his matters, the feudal barons, in an effort to limit his powers by law and protect their privileges. It was followed and directly influenced by the Charter of Liberties in 1100, in which King Henry I had specified particular...
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...Historical Essay: Confederation and Constitution By History 405 Professor Aimee James January 26th, 2015 Historical Essay: Confederation and Constitution Confederation and Constitution As Colonial America moved from civil disobedience to open war with Britain, the States, at the behest of the Colonial Congress, started drafting constitutions and in the process “became laboratories for constitutional experimentation” ( Keene 120). The need to ensure a strong union and to ensure that it was strong enough to deal with both internal and external issues drove the colonies to send delegates to Albany to draft the Articles of Confederation. Ratified in 1781, the Articles of Confederation framed a new United States of America. The Articles of Confederation did not create a national government, “but rather a firm league of friendship” (Keene 121). Ultimately a fear of recreating the issues that were driving them from British rule shaped the Articles of Confederation and created a weak government with little power. It setup a national legislature called Congress where each state had one vote. It had no power to levy taxes, regulate commerce or otherwise interfere with the States. It could create money and declare war or peace. Notably any changes or amendments required a unanimous vote of Congress and “because of its weaknesses, Alexander Hamilton and other delegates called for a convention to be held in Philadelphia to improve and amend the Articles” (Articles of confederation 2014). The...
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...Running Head: Constitution Timeline Constitution Time Line Grand Canyon University: POS-301 Arizona/Federal Government September 29, 2012 There are five important documents that have had an impact on the evolution of the United States Constitution. These documents include the Magna Carta (1215), the Mayflower Compact (1620), the Declaration of Independence (1776), the Articles of Confederation (1777), and the Federalist Papers (1787-1788). Significant documents in their own right these papers laid the framework for the creation of the modern day United States Constitution. The inception of the constitution was born partly from the successes and failures these previous ruling documents brought to their countries. The Magna Carta or “The Great Charter” was created by Great Britain in 1215. It consisted of 63 clauses that dealt with the rights, customs, and administration of justice. It was put in place because of King John’s abuse of his people. He created chaos and did inhumane things to his people against the justice system. Only 3 of the original 63 clauses still remain which consist of “the clause confirming the privileges of the city of London and other towns; and the most famous clause of all which states that no free man shall be imprisoned, dispossessed, outlawed or exiled without the lawful judgement of his equals or by the law of the land” (Magna Carta 2008) The others have been replaced...
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...Articles of Confederation. Describe what they were and how they came about and what they were designed to address in the new American government. Why did they require replacement? Was the process of their replacement controversial? Was it necessary that the Articles were replace? The Articles of Confederation served as the first constitution of the US, it written on November 15, 1777 and formally ratified in 1781. The articles created a platform for a new government without an association between 13 states, this original constitution did not have a central government to oversee the workings of the states as a whole and instead operated on a “firm league of friendship”. The articles were known as a confederation since the system gave...
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...Madison. It was published on January 29, 1788. The essay examines the strength of the state and federal governments under the proposed United States Constitution. It is titled, "The Influence of the State and Federal Governments Compared." James Madison argues that States and the Federal Government are different but should collaborate with unified goals and powers. Madison realized that the people will be loyal to their states and possibly rebel against the central government if pushed to do so. He realized the federal government had to be sensitive to the people’s rights. Not to go down the European path they fled once upon a time. ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION: * Before the Articles of Confederation States had too much power over the federal government. * States had the power to create own currency * Form their own militias * Regulate their own trade CONSTITUTION: * The purpose of the original union of 13 colonies was to protect themselves from outside attacks. * The constitution was created to not limit states right but to them to reasoning that can better benefit the union. * The powers granted to the federal government are few and specific and will be exercised towards external parties. Powers granted to the states are many and general and focused solely on internal affairs. The federal government will be the most important in times of war and danger, the state government in times of peace and security. The more powerful the federal government...
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...Articles of Confederation The Articles of Confederation was the first constitution of the United States of America. The Articles of Confederation were first drafted by the Continental Congress in Philadelphia Pennsylvania in 1777. This first draft was prepared by a man named John Dickinson in 1776. The Articles were then ratified in 1781. The cause for the changes to be made was due to state jealousies and widespread distrust of the central authority. This jealousy then led to the emasculation of the document. As adopted, the articles provided only for a "firm league of friendship" in which each of the 13 states expressly held "its sovereignty, freedom, and independence." The People of each state were given equal privileges and rights, freedom of movement was guaranteed, and procedures for the trials of accused criminals were outlined. The articles established a national legislature called the Congress, consisting of two to seven delegates from each state; each state had one vote, according to its size or population. No executive or judicial branches were provided for. Congress was charged with responsibility for conducting foreign relations, declaring war or peace, maintaining an army and navy, settling boundary disputes, establishing and maintaining a postal service, and various lesser functions. Some of these responsibilities were shared with the states, and in one way or another Congress was dependent upon the cooperation of the states...
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...History to 1865 Paper By: Nicole Riedy HIS/115 January 6, 2014 Instructor: Amy Obszarski Constitution of the United States During the 1700’s men such as Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson came up with a group of laws that they thought would benefit the people of the Americas. There were a few complaints with the Decoration of Independence that the Constitution was able to address and at the same time the Constitution was able to identify and address weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation. There are many reasons as to why the Constitution evolved but it served well for the United States. The Great Compromise was a formal agreement for both large and small states to have two representatives in the upper house for each state. The Connecticut Compromise or as it is most likely known as The Great Compromise, was written in 1787 during the Constitutional Convention by Oliver Ellsworth and Roger Sherman. The Constitutional Convention set up it to where each state would be able to have their own congressional representation and legislative structure. The Great Compromise also required that each state be represented by two representatives within the upper house and that representation in the lower house be equal between all states. This congressional congress session went on for seven long weeks and was almost ruined or destroyed by the issue of representation. The states still argues that they were providing more of a contribution to the financial and defensive resources...
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