The Constitution essays

The Constitution essays The Declaration of Independence called for a democratic government and the first result was the Articles of Confederation. The Articles of Confederation was too weak to be an effective form of government. It did however, pave the way to the U.S. Constitution which was a much stronger form of government. Did the writers of the Constitution create an aristocratic government to benefit a wealthy few, or did the writers of the Constitution recognize the importance of a strong central government that could run the country effectively? The Declaration of Independence did call for a democratic government. America had felt that the English monarchy had invaded their rights. Many people were scared that a strong centralized government, even a democratic one, would trample their rights just as easily as England had. Keeping this in mind, the writers of the Articles of Confederation opted for a league of friendship between the different states. Each state had control of its own currency, laws, tariffs, etc.... Although this league of friendship may have quieted fears of a strong, centralized, and imposing government, the effectiveness of the Articles of Confederation soon came into question. The Articles of Confederation had some weaknesses. The regulation of commerce was not left to the government under the Articles of Confederation. This left the individual states free to use their own currency, making the ability to tax the states relatively impossible. The government asked the states to voluntarily contribute their share, which they seldom did. The national government was virtually powerless under the Articles of Confederation, and eventually the convention that brought forth the United States Constitution came about. Although the Articles of Confederation were ineffective, they were a great stepping stone to the Constitution, outlining general powers that the centra ...