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What Are The Strengths And Weaknesses Of The Articles Of Confederation

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What Are The Strengths And Weaknesses Of The Articles Of Confederation
As a new nation, America needed a national government if they wanted to stay united. In result, on March 2, 1781, a plan by Ben Franklin called the Articles of Confederation was ratified to act as framework for America’s central government.
The Articles of Confederation was purposely created to have a weak central government, in fear of a tyrannical government like Britain's. The idea behind the Articles were to place a limit on how much power each state had while maintaining its “Sovereignty, freedom, and independence and every power, jurisdiction, and right.” Although, many of the ideas behind the Articles of Confederation were well thought out, in reality, it revealed many of its weaknesses as the framework of America.The Articles were …show more content…
It told a story of what America is all about, and gave it control of certain situations that individual states couldn’t handle alone.
The Articles of Confederation had the people’s best interest at heart. It reflected the values that Americans wanted to uphold and learn from Britain’s mistakes. In addition, it was America’s national government and was better present, than no government at all. The Articles also gave the government the power to make decisions regarding how to act with foreign nations and settle conflicts among states. The Articles of Confederation also created different departments, such as the Department of Treasury, which allowed the government to coin money. However, when compared to its weaknesses, the weaknesses outweighed the strengths easily, which was significant because it affected and frustrated the American people.

Shays’ rebellion
Shays’ Rebellion, in 1786-1787, was caused by the accumulation of the Articles’ weaknesses. Farmers, all across the states, were victims to high taxes and the repression caused by the Articles of Confederation. In response, the farmers resorted to violence. Daniel Shay led the revolt and attempted to capture an arsenal located in Springfield. However, they were defeated and were forced to retreat to Vermont and then Rhode …show more content…
The Constitution separated the powers of government that would function by keeping each other in check and making sure that no one branch gets too powerful. This was significant because allowed a strong central government without the fear of one branch growing too powerful and becoming a tyrant. In addition, the Constitution included the Bill of Rights, which were composed of 10 amendments. The Bill included such rights as the freedom of speech, freedom to bear arms, freedom of religion, and etc. This is significant because it allows people their rights without relinquishing central government
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