The Articles vs. the Constitution

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HIST 1700 Compare and Contrast The Documents That Shaped America The Articles of Confederation and the Constitution although, undoubtedly different in philosophies, they shared an imperative similarity of freedom and independence. The Articles of Confederation were adopted by congress in 1777 and served as our nations first form of government. By 1781 all thirteen original states had ratified and created a union of sovereign states. A few years later, congress and all thirteen states were bankrupt. In aspirations of revising the Articles, a group of nationalists met in Philadelphia and formed the constitutional convention. Headed by Madison, a political theorists, proposed a whole new form of government, presently known as The US Constitution. The Constitution was necessary for survival and establishing the undeniable need for balance. When comparing these two crucial documents, you recognize their similarities are structured in the foundation. Both the Articles and Constitution had the same goal in mind and illustrated independence. Both systems awarded the states control over taxing citizens. Also, they both stated that the states would have the power to make and execute laws. They also agreed on allowing each state to hold the power to regulating commerce with foreign nations. Both documents had the same fundamentals in regards to maintaining sovereignty. They both focused on maintaining independence as a government. While their foundation may have been similar, the fundamentals and accountability the Articles lacked, correlate directly to its downfall. One of the major differences in the Constitution was implementing a system of government with two houses of congress, the House of Representatives and the senate. Three branch government, executive, legislative and judicial. The executive is the President, who carries out the law. Legislative creates the
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