Why is the articles of confederation good

Two days later, Congress sent it to the states for ratification. The Articles required unanimous consent from the thirteen states to take effect. Maryland became the final state to ratify the document on March 1, The Articles of Confederation featured a preamble and thirteen articles that granted the bulk of power to the states. To some degree, it was a treaty of alliance between thirteen sovereign republics rather than the foundation for a national government.

Other articles discussed the powers granted to Congress, including the power to levy war, send and receive ambassadors, create treaties, grant letters of marque and reprisal, regulate the value of coin, and establish post offices.

It also featured a supremacy clause obligating every state to follow the Articles of Confederation. Three years after the ratification of the Articles of Confederation, many Americans including George Washington began to argue that the perpetual union was in danger. I am uneasy and apprehensive—more so, than during the War.

Congress possessed only enumerated powers under the Articles of Confederation. It had no real power to tax, regulate commerce, or raise an army. The inability to tax created major obstacles for the new nation.

Without the ability to tax the states or citizens, Congress could not raise revenue, which it needed to pay war debts to international creditors.

Congress could only request money from states, and frequently, states would donate only a portion of the request or nothing at all. In April , Congress proposed an amendment to the Articles that would allow Congress to levy a five percent tariff on imports for no more than twenty-five years. The revenue from the proposed tariff was specifically earmarked to pay war debts. Given the unanimous amendment process, all states had to ratify the impost for it to take effect.

Under these articles, the states remained sovereign and independent, with Congress serving as the last resort on appeal of disputes. However, the central government lacked the ability to levy taxes and regulate commerce, issues that led to the Constitutional Convention in for the creation of new federal laws under The United States Constitution.

From the beginning of the American Revolution , Congress felt the need for a stronger union and a government powerful enough to defeat Great Britain.

During the early years of the war this desire became a belief that the new nation must have a constitutional order appropriate to its republican character. A fear of central authority inhibited the creation of such a government, and widely shared political theory held that a republic could not adequately serve a large nation such as the United States.

The legislators of a large republic would be unable to remain in touch with the people they represented, and the republic would inevitably degenerate into a tyranny. To many Americans, their union seemed to be simply a league of confederated states, and their Congress a diplomatic assemblage representing thirteen independent polities.

The impetus for an effective central government lay in wartime urgency, the need for foreign recognition and aid and the growth of national feeling. Altogether, six drafts of the Articles were prepared before Congress settled on a final version in Benjamin Franklin wrote the first and presented it to Congress in July It was never formally considered.

None of these drafts contributed significantly to the fourth version written by John Dickinson of Pennsylvania , the text that after much revision provided the basis for the Articles approved by Congress. Dickinson prepared his draft in June ; it was revised by a committee of Congress and discussed in late July and August. In November the final Articles, much altered by this long deliberative process, were approved for submission to the states.

By all the states had approved the Articles of Confederation except Maryland , but the prospects for acceptance looked bleak because claims to western lands by other states set Maryland in inflexible opposition. Maryland also supported the demands because nearby Virginia would clearly dominate its neighbor should its claims be accepted. The weakness of the Articles of Confederation was that Congress was not strong enough to enforce laws or raise taxes, making it difficult for the new nation to repay their debts from the Revolutionary War.

There was no executive and no judiciary, two of the three branches of government we have today to act as a system of checks and balances. Additionally, there were several issues between states that were not settled with ratification: A disagreement over the appointment of taxes forecast the division over slavery in the Constitutional Convention.

With large numbers of slaves, the southern states opposed this requirement, arguing that taxes should be based on the number of white inhabitants.

In the middle of the war, Congress had little time and less desire to take action on such matters as the slave trade and fugitive slaves, both issues receiving much attention in the Constitutional Convention. Its revenue would come from the states, each contributing according to the value of privately owned land within its borders.

But Congress would exercise considerable powers: it was given jurisdiction over foreign relations with the authority to make treaties and alliances; it could make war and peace, maintain an army and navy, coin money, establish a postal service and manage Indian affairs; it could establish admiralty courts and it would serve as the last resort on appeal of disputes between the states.

Decisions on certain specified matters—making war, entering treaties, regulating coinage, for example—required the assent of nine states in Congress, and all others required a majority. Although the states remained sovereign and independent, no state was to impose restrictions on the trade or the movement of citizens of another state not imposed on its own. The Articles required unanimous approval from the states.

These smaller states wanted other states to relinquish their western land claims before they would ratify the Articles. This left Maryland as the last remaining holdout. Meanwhile, in , British forces began to conduct raids on Maryland communities in the Chesapeake Bay.

Luzerne wrote back, urging the government of Maryland to ratify the Articles of Confederation. Marylanders were given further incentive to ratify when Virginia agreed to relinquish its western land claims, and so the Maryland legislature ratified the Articles of Confederation on March 1, Livingston as Secretary of Foreign Affairs.

A further Act of Feb 22, , allowed the Secretary to ask and respond to questions during sessions of the Continental Congress. The Articles created a sovereign, national government, and, as such, limited the rights of the states to conduct their own diplomacy and foreign policy. This made the people feel free, but when it came to imposing laws, it caused a problem. People who wanted to unify the country were unable to because of the individualized freedom. Under the Articles of Confederation, no state was forced to contribute money to the nation.

There was also no official power to levy taxes. Any money that was sent to the new government was up to each state. The wealthier states were expected to cover the cost of minting coins, contributing to the armed forces and other expenses necessary to keep the new nation going.

Not only was this not fair, but it created animosity between the states. When the Articles of Confederation were first being drawn up , there was a significant debate. The people of the North wanted every person of every color except for the tribal populations to be counted for taxes.

The people of the South wanted only white people and those who were freed to be calculated for taxes. To get the Articles of Confederation signed and put into effect, the North and the South had to compromise. They agreed to create a unified taxation structure at the state level. Those who owned land and property would be counted for taxes.

This meant that slaves were considered a commodity because they were treated as property and not as people. Under the Article of Confederation, each state would mint its own money, while there was also U.

This meant that the citizens of each state had to manage 14 different forms of currency when dealing with each other and other states. This was beyond confusing. Foreign governments were also required to deal with 14 different forms of currency because trade was decided state by state. All of the currency instantly caused very high inflation rates, which reduced the amount of money each state could contribute. This was one of the main reasons the states chose to unify rather than enjoying absolute independence for each state.

According to the Treaty of Paris, the territories west of the original 13 colonies were the responsibility of the United States. Under the Articles of Confederation, absolute unity was required for the U. This made it possible for the British to remain in the territory. The Articles of Confederation made it impossible for the U. These loans were essential for the United States to fight back against the British successfully.

After the war, the creditors wanted to be repaid. The articles made it impossible for the U. Things were so bad that soldiers who fought in the war and were promised payment never received it. This led to foreign and domestic financial issues. Under the Articles of Confederation, each state was allowed to act as its own nation.

For over 20 years after the articles were signed, states were fighting over land claims. For example, Virginia and Connecticut almost went to war over their land claims. Each state wanted the land for itself, and they fought. Before the Revolutionary War even began, Pennsylvania had already declared war on Maryland and Connecticut over land.

With all of these power struggles going on, it became apparent that a new government structure was necessary. Without the necessary changes, all 13 colonies could go to war over land.