What Are The Strengths And Weaknesses Of The Constitution

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Back in 1777, before the current Constitution was established, the Second Continental Congress approved America’s first Constitution drafted by John Dickinson, known as the Articles of Confederation. This happened after America had officially declared its independence from Great Britain in the Revolutionary War. The Continental Congress sought to establish a new government, which the articles were just a start to this growing America. These articles established a “firm league of friendship between and among the 13 states” (Callahan 13). The objective of the articles was to help bring together the 13 colonies under a common government after being freed from British rule. The articles were active from March 1, 1781, to June 21, 1788, which was when the present United States Constitution was drafted. According to Feinberg, the articles were weak in some areas, but they provided a landmark in government and they were a stepping-stone toward the later written supreme law of the United States, the Constitution. Robert…show more content…
They did this to “modify and address the failures of the Articles of Confederation” (Callahan 34). Although there were many weaknesses in the Articles of Confederation and they might not have provided the most effective form of government, the articles helped lay the foundation for the new government of America that we have today. The central government was too weak to govern, with no chief executive, no national court system, no power to regulate interstate commerce, no military, no national currency, and it was difficult to pass laws. According to Callahan, the Founding Fathers believed the Articles needed to be replaced by the U.S. Constitution because they needed the nation to function as one united country and not as thirteen small and unorganized nations. The Articles of Confederation was just a start to what made our nation how it is

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