Articles
of Confederation |
Articles
of Confederation, first constitution of the United
States. The Articles were in force from March 1, 1781, to June 21, 1788, when the present Constitution
of the United States became effective. They were written by a committee of the Second Continental Congress. The head of the
committee, John Dickinson, presented a report on the proposed articles to
the Congress in July 1776. Dickinson proposed a strong central government, with control
over the western lands, equal representation for the states, and the power to levy taxes.
The 13 states feared a powerful central government and changed Dickinson's proposed
articles before sending them to the states for ratification in November 1777.
Several years
passed before all the states ratified the articles. The delay resulted from preoccupation
with the American Revolution and disagreements
among the states. These disagreements included quarrels over boundary lines, conflicting
decisions by state courts, differing tariff laws, and trade restrictions between states.
The small states wanted equal representation with the large states in Congress, and the
large states were afraid they would have to pay an excessive amount of money to support
the federal government.
In addition,
the states disagreed over control of the western territories. The states with no frontier
borders wanted the government to control the sale of these territories so that all the
states profited, while the states bordering the frontier wanted to control as much land as
they could. Eventually the states agreed to give control of all western lands to the
federal government. The articles were finally ratified on March 1, 1781.
The articles created a loose
confederation of independent states that gave limited powers to a central government. The
national government would consist of a single house of Congress, where each state would
have one vote. Congress had the power to set up a postal department, to estimate the costs
of the government and request donations from the states, to develop armed forces, and to
control the development of the western territories. With the consent of 9 of the 13
states, Congress could also coin, borrow, or appropriate money, as well as declare war and
enter into treaties and alliances with foreign nations.
There was no
independent executive and no veto of legislation. Judicial proceedings in each state were
to be honored by all other states. The federal government had no judicial branch, and the
only judicial authority Congress had was the power to arbitrate disputes between states.
Congress was denied the power to levy taxes; the new federal government was financed by
donations from the states based on the value of each state's lands. Any amendment to the
articles required the unanimous approval of all 13 states.
In attempting to limit the
power of the central government, the Second Continental Congress created one without
sufficient power to govern effectively. The greatest weakness of the federal government
under the Articles of Confederation was its inability to regulate trade and levy taxes.
Sometimes the states refused to give the government the money it needed, and they engaged
in tariff wars with one another, almost paralyzing interstate commerce. Congress could not
pass needed measures and was powerless to enforce cooperation.
Congress could
not force the states to adhere to the terms of the Treaty of Paris (1783) ending the
American Revolution, and some states started their own negotiations with foreign
countries. In addition, the new nation was unable to defend its borders from British and
Spanish encroachment because it could not pay for an army when the states would not
contribute the necessary funds.
On February 21,
1787, Congress called for a Constitutional Convention to be held in May to revise the
articles. Between May and September, the convention wrote the present U.S. Constitution,
which retained some of the features of the Articles of Confederation but gave considerably
more power to the federal government. The Constitution provided for an executive branch
and allowed the government to tax its citizens. Congress became a two-house body
comprising the Senate and the House of Representatives.
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