The Articles of Confederation
The first constitution for the United States was the Articles of Confederation. The Articles were written after the new nation’s Declaration of Independence, establishing a "firm league of friendship" in which power resided in the states. Although the national Congress is credited with successfully conducting the Revolutionary War, and with some sound laws and procedures regarding western lands and new states, the lack of authority in the national government resulted in a national government too weak to deal with the problems faced by the young nation. It was these conditions that led to a call for the convention in Annapolis to deal with the economic problems of the nation and eventually a call for a national convention to revise the Articles of Confederation. These problems directly impacted the Constitution of the United States and its provisions.
How did the limited authority of the national government under the Articles of Confederation impact the nation? How did it influence the content of the Constitution?
Some have described the condition of the nation in 1786 as turbulent. You have read in the text about the problems of the nation and the issues with which the delegates at the convention had to deal. The Constitution reflects many of the concerns of the framers, including the problems under the Articles of Confederation.
To review problems of the nation during the confederation period, download and complete the chart.
In column two of the chart, list the powers under the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution. Then identify the resultant changes by completing column three of the chart. To find the location of items in the Constitution, you may use the Constitution found in the back of the book.
When you have finished, check your answers with the self check on the next page.
