Before
declaring independence in 1776, Congress had a committee draft a written Constitution
for the new nation which became the Articles of Confederation. The Articles of
Confederation hit an obstacle in its approval with the issue of western lands
and a question of who owned them. Six states, including Pennsylvania and
Maryland, did not own any land beyond the Allegheny Mountains. Seven states,
notably New York and Virginia, had large claims over the lands west of the
Appalachians. There were several disputes, either over who owned what part of
what land, or that it was unfair that some states would receive the new lands
and be able to profit from the while other states that had an equal a part in
the war for independence received nothing. A compromise came with the Northwest
Ordinance where the western lands were divided and sold cheaply. The money was
to be used to pay off pensions and debts for the common good. Finally, all 13
states ratified the Articles of Confederation by 1781 which was an important bond
of unity.
Under the
Articles, each state had one vote in congress, the vote of nine states in Congress was required for all
important measures, and laws were administered loosely by committees of
Congress. Under the Constitution, each state required two votes in Senate with
the representation by population in House. All important measures were decided
with a simple majority vote in Congress, and were subject to presidential veto.
Laws were to be executed by the powerful president. The Articles had no power
over commerce or the ability to levy taxes. It had limited federal courts, and
needed unanimity of states for amendment approval. Finally, it had no authority
to act directly upon individuals or power to coerce states. The Constitution
could regulate foreign and interstate commerce, and had extensive power to levy
taxes. Federal courts were capped by the Supreme Court. Amendments were less
difficult to pass, and there was ample power to enforce laws by coercion of
individuals, and to some extent of states. Though the Articles of Confederation
was considered a failure, it had been the stepping stone for a new Constitution
in America, and had in fact been very important in history.
The
Articles of Confederation was not a complete failure. It served as a model of
what a loose confederation ought to be. As the first written Constitution of
the republic, it allowed the states a feeling of union and held the states
together. The weaknesses of the Articles had made the states realize during
troubled times, that they need a tighter knitted federation. In addition, the
Articles clearly stated the general powers that were to be enforced by the
central government, such as making treaties, and establishing a postal service.
An important contribution the Articles made was convincing France America had a
genuine government, and convincing France to ally them in the Revolution. The
Land Ordinances passed by the Articles of Confederation were successful. The
land ordinance of 1785 decided how the new lands in the Ohio River Valley
should be divided up and sold. The money would benefit public schools. The
Northwest Ordinance of 1787 was successful in establishing how states would be
made once people moved there.
The
Ratification process of the Constitution proved to be difficult. The Constitution
was sent out to the states to be approved. People who were expecting a revised
version of the Articles of Confederation were shocked by the new Constitution.
The disagreement over the ratification of the Constitution formed two groups of
people, the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists. Leaders of the Federalist
Party included George Washington, James Madison, John Marshal and Alexander
Hamilton. Leaders of the Anti Federalists were Samuel Adams, Patrick Henry, and
Richard Henry Lee. Opposing views on the Constitution led to their different
political parties. The split in the social standings of the two groups also
contributed to the divided political parties.
Federalists
wanted the Constitution to be ratified because they preferred a stronger
central government to establish and maintain order. Anti-Federalists did not
want the Constitution to be ratified because they felt that it gave too much
power to the national government, and threatened their independence and
freedom. They thought the Constitution had been drawn up by the aristocratic
people and thus antidemocratic. They also objected to the Constitution’s lack
of a Bill of Rights that would ensure individual freedoms, getting rid of the
annual elections for representatives of Congress, and the formation of a
standing army, which could all be used against the people. After a long
deliberation and a few disgruntled states, there was a unanimous ratification
of the Constitution.
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