Articles Of Confederation

            
             Once our Government, Now our History.
             The Articles of Confederation was the first constitution of the United States of America. Soon after the Revolutionary War in America, the Articles of Confederation were first drafted by the continental congress in Philadelphia Pennsylvania in 1777. A man named John Dickinson in 1776 prepared this first draft. The Articles were then ratified in1781. The Articles set up a democratic government that gave the States the power to make their own laws and to enforce them. Life under the Articles of Confederation was filled with hardship and uncertainty, the United States government was in a state of chaos. .
             The Articles were ineffective because Congress only had the power to recommend actions to the States. It could not enforce its recommendations or laws. Each state had its own constitution, monetary system, and means of enforcing the law. Each state had a stronger commitment to their own laws and to the their own interests than to the recommendations of Congress. Regionalism pitted one State against another, which decreased the sense of unity in the country. However, despite its flaws, the Confederation did prove capable of accomplishing a few foreign and domestic achievements. This enabled the United States to introduce itself to the global scene. Though to end the existing chaos and build a stronger democratic society for the future, the government would need to be more powerful and centralized. All this led to changes and the emasculation of the document (Kline 135-136).
             Our Early Government.
             As adopted, the articles provided only for a "firm league of friendship" in which each of the 13 states expressly held "its sovereignty, freedom, and independence" (Alden 340). The people of each state were given equal privileges and rights, freedom of movement was guaranteed, and procedures for the trials of accused criminals were outlined. The articles established a national legislature called the Congress, consisting of two to seven delegates from each state; each state had one vote, regardless of its size or population.