Write an essay (500-750 words) examining the main ...



Write an essay (500-750 words) examining the main political and economic issues during the formation of the Articles of Confederation. In what ways did the Articles address these issues? Use your text to inform your essay

The Articles of Confederation was the initial governing document for the United States of America. They were ratified in 1781 and legally united what were originally several independent and sovering states, previously allied under the Articles of Association. This was a very important document in this history of the United States, as well as a guideline for many countries and their drive towards democracy. Under the Articles, and of course, the Constitution, each individual State retained certain governmental sovereighnty but relinquished certain controls to the Federal, or Central government (Bailyn, 1992).

The last draft of the Articles was written in the summer of 1777 and adopted that same November by the Continental Congress. Even prior to complete ratification, it set the rules of the newly formed United States, helped resolve issues, allowed the confederation to make war, negotiate diplomatic agreements, etc. It was created representatives of the Second Continuneal congress and was considered a necessary plan to “secure the freedom, sovereignty, and independent of the United States” (Jensen, 1959). Some, however, known as the Federalists, felt that the Articles were not complete enough for an effective government. They felt that this document should employ more economic authority, and that it was the responsiility of the national government to impose taxes, rather than a federal government asking for funds from various state governments. In addition, the Federalists viewed that the Articles did not alance out the differences etween large and small States in the congress. For example, in the Articles, each state received one-vote, larger States were expected to contribute more tax money, but had the same voting power as small States. The Articles were replaced y the United States Constitution in June of 1788 (Ketcham in Schechter, 1990, p.381-4).

Thus, the major political and economic issues surrounding the Articles of Confederation were centered around authority, and equality in authority. The authority of the Federal Government was not questioned, nor was the ability of the Federal Government to impose laws that would be upheld by the States. Economically, there was a fear that the larger States would become a tyranny over the small States. That the States that had large amounts of manufacturing would rule the country, whereas the States that had more rural populations, would have little say and voice. Rather than look at the fledgeling country as a representative democracy, and assign voting power by population, we’ve seen that the “one-State, one-vote” view pervaded the Articles. This new “republic” had a great many prolems, and was faced with mounting war debt, without the real authority to do anything about it except to convince the larger States to contribute more to the coffers. Essentially, they did, in order to preserve the Union and continue toward a new Constitution (Wood, 1999).

Politically, too, there was a main schism that hinged on the authority of the States themselves. This debate would continue on with the Constitution, and in fact, would not be settled until 100 years later and the War Between the States. However, in terms of the Articles of Confederation, the Federalists not only believed that the central government should be the authority for taxation, they also believed that it was up to the Federal system to impose tarrifs, give land grants, assume responsiility for debt, print national currnecy, and put the economic and political authority with the Central government (Bailyn, 1992).

REFERENCES:

Bailyn, Bernard, (1992), The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution, Belknap Press.

Jensen, Merrill, (1959), The Articles of Confederation, University of Wisconsin Press.

Schechter, et.al., (1990), Roots of the Repblic, Rowan and Littlefield.

Wood, Gordon, (1999), The Creation of the American Republic, UNC Press.

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