Confederation Compromise

The Articles of Confederation was first sent to the states in November of 1777. Written by the Continental Congress, disagreements with separation of power throughout the states is what hindered the ratification process. Reasons for delay were mostly over representation and land. Smaller states wanted the same representation as larger states where larger states wanted representation based on population. Ownership over the western lands, as in the Appalachian Mountains, also set back the ratification of the Articles of Confederation. Once a compromise was reached, the Articles of Confederation (AOC) was ratified on March 1, 1781. Not too long after ratification, Americans realized that the United States needed a more central government. An unknown
The government could not provide the necessary resources and failed to intervene sufficiently. This led to a national discussion about revising the AOC. There was also contention between the states over interstate commerce. In May of 1787, 55 delegates met in Philadelphia to discuss revising the AOC. Several plans were discussed. The “Great Compromise” also known as the Connecticut compromise was chosen. “Many people contributed to the creation of the American Constitution, but the most important person in the process was James Madison” (Brinkley, 135). The delegates were concerned with giving the national government sovereignty, they feared that it may infringe on individual rights. So they decided to write the Bill of Rights which protects an American’s
It allowed decisions to be made at the federal level that were best for the country with representation for each state. Ease of legislation was made possible by a reduction in what was considered a majority vote and the federal government was able to tax individual citizens. A system of checks and balances was established by creating an executive branch headed by the president, a judiciary branch, and a legislative branch. The Judiciary branch created the Federal District Courts, Federal Circuit Courts, and the Supreme Court and was passed by congress in 1789. In order for the federal government to administer the armed forces, post office, and trade and commerce regulation, there would need to be a presidential staff known as a cabinet which would be chosen by the president. The Attorney General, Chief Justice and other cabinet positions would also be appointed by the president. The judiciary system would be used for citizens and state’s rights to be