Question

Describe the structure of the Articles of Confederation and analyze its strengths and weaknesses. Be very detailed when explaining.

Answer 1

The articles of the Confederation were an essential "prequel" to what we now know as the Constitution. During the struggle for US independence, the need arose for the colonies to unite. the Continental Congress met and formed a committee to prepare this document in 1776, which was prepared by Delegaye john Dickinson . The thirteen colonies had to agree on the articles of the Confederacy and as a result it was amended several times until they were able to reach an agreement. It was finally approved in 1781. Many of the states were concerned that the government had too much power, and therefore much of the power remained in the states. A unilateral government was established consisting of a Congress, with each state having one vote.

The main strength was that it expressly retained the sovereignty, freedom and independence of each state, so there was no way to claim that the states only jointly formed an independent state. Consequently, when each state unilaterally separated from the Confederation in 1787-9, no one could deny each state's right to do so, as the articles were clearly only agreements between independent states. While states obtained their independence by treaty in 1783, so they did not need to expressly retain it thereafter, the Constitution's omission of this "express retention" opened the door to revisionist claims that states were never independent in independently. rather, only "the Union" had this status, while many states depended on it. This led to the eventual suppression of its independence during the Lincoln administration, and has yet to be reaffirmed.

The main weaknesses of the articles of the Confederation were quite simple: the absence of a federal court, the absence of rules of supremacy and direct taxation, making it a government of states rather than of the people. However, a stronger federal government did not create an independent state on top of the states, and it was never intended as such.