Articles of Confederation

Essay by y2fuHigh School, 12th gradeA+, September 2004

download word file, 4 pages 3.0

In the following essay, based on my knowledge of history and historical data, I will disprove that the Articles of Confederation provided the United States with an effective government.

The Articles of Confederation was the first written constitution of the United States. It established a loose league of friendship between 13 sovereign states and proposed that each state have its sovereignty, freedom, and independence. The Articles were approved in 1781, which led to a period of crisis between the years 1781 and 1789. This period was referred to as the Critical Period.

The United States had different issues that they had to deal with. These were foreign affairs, economic conditions, and Western land. The government was weak due to poor economic conditions and the people still feared the power of the central government. These weaknesses posed a threat to the effectiveness of the government.

Under the Articles of Confederation, there was a unicameral legislature.

There was one house and there were no executive or judiciary branches. Each state had the same number of representatives and their own currency. The states also taxed each other. This caused the value of money to decrease and posed a threat to the economic stability of the United States, which was already weak and in need of reformation.

Since the Articles reserved power for the states, different groups of people such as farmers and merchants, had completely different demands of the state government. Their varied ideas and views caused tension and rivalry between the people. It also caused rebellion. Thomas Jefferson viewed rebellion as essential for government. He said, "A little rebellion now and then is a good thing and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical. It is a medicine necessary for the sound health of government." His ideas...