Preview

Confederation vs. Federation: Need for Change in the US Government

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
380 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Confederation vs. Federation: Need for Change in the US Government
The US government transformed itself from a very weak government to a strong central government from 1776 to 1876. The maitenance and creation of order was deeply needed in america at this time. Due to the US Constitution, The Articles of Confederation, and the Bill of Rights America went through so much needed changes. Around 1776 America wanted a weak government because they had such a fear of monoarchy. When the trasformation of the new strong central government began many more problems occurred and even contributed to the Civil War.

The first attempt for a new government was in 1781 when the Articles of Confederation was formed. The Articles of Confederation was like a contract that bounded the 13 colonies together which gave each individual state power over its own decisions. Some conflicts arose from this. So, the next step was the creation of the US Constitution. The Constituion was a set of laws that defined the powers of the government. This fell through when there was nothing mentioned about slavery.

Many, many conflicts arose from the states slavery issue. After much thought it was deceided to come up with a comprimise. "For every free state there will be a slave state". This seemed to work until Lincoln was elected in 1860 and then slavery was abolished. This played a key role in the beginning of the civel war where 600,000 people lost there lives. This is a great example of why the Constitution had failed. So the 13 amendment was formed and slavery was officially abolished.

Now around 1865 America was in great need for some reconstruction. With the states having their local powers revoked they did not want to lose their right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. With the new central government in control new federal supremacy was formed and initiated new checks and balances to ensure the government was running properly.

From 1776 to 1876 America under went several major changes and transformed it from a very

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    In 1787 when the Constitution was created it caused many people to start a grand debate. Of course, there were people that supported the constitution and people that were afraid of the constitution. The Federalists and the Anti-Federalists created documents that are within the Constitution that have shaped United States political parties. The Federalists supported a strong central government because the Articles of Confederation didn’t have strong national power, and was very restrictive.A reason why The Federalist wanted to change the constitution was to add people’s opinion into the Constitution. The Anti-Federalists supported a strong state government because they believed that a strong national government would cause a monarch and they were afraid of who will have the power.…

    • 536 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    allow it to regulate and govern its states as a result led to social, economic and political…

    • 679 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Articles of Confederation of 1781 produced the first endeavor of government structure. This attempt of forming a national and state government failed. Some of the issues that transpired from the constitution include: Each state only had one vote in Congress, regardless of state size; Congress did not have the powers to tax or regulate foreign or interstate commerce; There was not a recognized national court system or executive branch to enforce acts passed by Congress; While amendments to the Constitution required a unanimous vote, the passing of a law required a 9/13 vote. The lack of involvement of the national government allowed states to become self-governing and sovereign. States printed their own money that only had value within that territory which created a hindrance in trade and in turn produced an unstable economy. The national government having no enforcing authority and the United States of America was in a state of chaos. This generated an out lash from individuals.…

    • 780 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “A Revolution In Favor Of Government”, by Max M. Edling, presents the founding period of America. Besides, it focuses on the political and historical facts of the Constitution and the American state. According to Max Edling, the Federalists tried to build a central government, which was based on the fiscal-military of Europe. So, the federal system of government was built when the Constitution was designed by Federalists with fiscal-military power. They had to build a different state, because it was hard to secure adopting the Constitution. The Constitution was designed to protect the liberties and the rights of the American citizens.…

    • 998 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The government was set up under the Articles of Confederation, America’s first constitution. The founders were so afraid of a strong central government that they gave all power to the states, rather than set up an over-seeing national government. The Revolution was fought to get away from an overbearing and unfair ruler, so it is understandable why they wouldn’t want another monarchy to take over. The problem was that the Articles of Confederation gave little to no power at all to their national government, causing distress and non-compliance between the states. The Articles of Confederation denied the government the ability to take care of the states and the union. An influential philosopher at the time, Hobbes, believes that it is the sole purpose of the national government to enforce peace and laws; thus making life, liberty, and the pursuit of property possible. Another influential philosopher at the time, Locke, also believes that a central government is necessary to promote public good, to protect property and promote…

    • 871 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Between 1789 and 1820, the power of the national government expanded greatly as a result of Hamiltons economic policies. Marshall Supreme Court decisions. Henry Clays American system, and territorial acquisitions. While many of these programs ultimately sowed the seeds of sectionalism, the net result was a more powerful national government by 1820. During the 1780s the first major problem occurred for the federal government. It was how to deal with the financial chaos created by the American Revolution. The States had huge war debts. There was runaway inflation and almost all areas of the economy were terrible throughout the 1780s. Economically the federal government was having a really hard time, it was a major factor so the federal government reacted by later producing a…

    • 628 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Throughout time we see how the government that we see today evolved. From the 1790’s, American politics was a reflection of the hardships and degree of work needed to maintain an effective government. Throughout this time period the leaders of America faced many domestic and foreign affairs that were key to the formation of a new nation. With the election of Washington as the first president the chain of domestic affairs that helped shape American politics began with no other events in any time period could achieve. Thus ultimately determining that domestic events were more important in the shaping of the U.S. Also the foreign affairs with the guidelines set forth against the French sparked the way in which domestic affairs…

    • 611 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Throwing off the British monarchy on July 4, 1776, left the United States with no central government. It had to design and install a new government and quickly. As early as May 1776, Congress advised each of the colonies to draw up plans for state government; by 1780, all thirteen states had adopted written constitutions. In June 1776, the Continental Congress began to work on a plan for a central government. It took five years for it to be approved, first by members of Congress and then by the states. This first attempt at a constitution for the United States was called the Articles of Confederation.…

    • 1019 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Bibliography: Francis, R.D., Jones, R., Smith, D.B. and Wardaugh, R., Destinies: Canadian History Since Confederation. 7th Ed. Toronto, Thomson, Nelson, 2012…

    • 1167 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    American federalism offers a solution to fears that the people will only be ruled by majorities from different regions that contained different interests and values. In the past America was run by the Articles of Confederation but it was not strong enough to hold the nation together. Under the loose Articles of Confederation, the national and state government was unable to maintain order. After the Revolution, Americans mounted debt from purchasing goods from other countries. To solve this problem the states would tax their citizens and this caused many people to go into bankruptcy. When Shay’s Rebellion happened people started realizing that by having a less powerful national government, it created many problems within the states and it also demonstrated the importance to maintain domestic order. The framers of the constitution created a federal government that replaced the weak confederation with a more powerful national government.…

    • 262 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Dbq Essay Civil War

    • 657 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Civil War was not officially fought over the issue of slavery, but one of the most important outcomes of the war was the emancipation of all slaves in the United States. The reasons for southern states’ secession ranged from unfair duties imposed on the states to the recurring issue of slavery (Document A). This secession unofficially started the war and created great tension between the North and the South. President Lincoln’s main purpose of commencing war was to unite the divided nation, and with tactics such as his Emancipation Proclamation and gaining the Border States’ support he was able to achieve his goal of reunification. Other results yielded by the war were the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution. These provisions formally ended slavery and guaranteed the black freedmen future citizenship and suffrage. The blacks argued that if they fought in the war to preserve the Union that they were entitled to voting and having the same rights as other American citizens (Document C). The Civil Rights Act of 1866 declared that every person born in the United States, without regard to race, color, or previous conditions of slavery or involuntary service, is entitled to citizenship.…

    • 657 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Forming a new government comes with challenges and obstacles that the people need to overcome for the greater good of the country. During the time that the Americans formed the government, arguments were placed into the open to be solved. Solutions that were given, many were rejected and caused a lot of disagreement. Creating a government brought the country into disagreement between the anti-federalists and federalists for the concerns of rights of the people and power that was shared among them. Firstly, the anti-federalists disagreed how the rights were to be given to one another as well as the division of power between the states. Secondly, the federalists were satisfied with the conditions that were given to them, including the power they could have and what human rights that would protect them.…

    • 271 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Who Killed Reconstruction?

    • 1870 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Overview: The twelve years after the Civil War proved to be a difficult time for America. Called Reconstruction by historians, this era saw an increase of freedom for former slaves. However, there was also great resistance to change. In 1877 attempts to reconstruct the South officially ended, leaving white-only governments in power. This DBQ asks you to decide who, North or South, was most responsible for the end of Reconstruction…

    • 1870 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    As written documents, the state constitutions were intended to represent a fundamental law, superior to the short-lived impulses of ordinary legislation.…

    • 9004 Words
    • 37 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Secondly the another issue is War. The slavery became a part of the large political crisis in U.S. History and the Civil War caused so much problems and was one of the bloodiest war in American history, because it was estimated that over 620,000 people died…

    • 197 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays