Essay Example on The Articles of Confederation

After the writing of the declaration of independence, the newly formed United States was in need of a government. Having just left Britain's constitutional monarchy, the Americans wanted their government to have as little power as possible. This resulted in the creation of the Articles of Confederation. Though it served as an important learning experience, the Articles of Confederation had to be replaced due to political, economic, and military weaknesses. First off, the government was made up of only one branch, legislative. Second off, States controlled production of money, causing inflation. Third off, the United States was unable to raise a military to protect the country. Because of these, and many more issues, the Articles of Confederation were replaced with the U.S. constitution.

Due to the unpleasant experience with Britain’s constitutional monarchy, the states wanted their national government to have as little power as possible. Because of this, the Articles of Confederation only instated one branch; the legislative branch. Without an executive branch or judicial branch, it made enforcing laws and settling disputes extremely difficult. Another policy that created issues was that in congress, each state only had one vote. This was unfair to large states with high populations. Congress also required a ¾ majority vote to pass laws and a unanimous vote to pass amendments. There is a reason no laws or amendments were passed under the Articles of Confederation; it proved quite difficult for the 13 representatives to agree on much. Overall, these policies presented several complications that led to the creation of the U.S. constitution.

The weakness of the national government under the Articles of Confederation created more than just political issues, its policies also negatively affected the economy. The government was not given the power to print money for the nation. This meant each state had its own currency, causing inflation. It also made interstate trade difficult. This caused the states to be more independent from each other. After all of the american’s issues with Britain over “Taxation without representation”, they decided that their government was not going to have the power to tax the citizens. Under the Articles of Confederation, taxes were optional. Due to this, most Americans did not pay taxes. This policy posed several issues. The U.S. was unable to pay off war debt or cover national expenses. Relations between states were also becoming tense because the government wasn’t allowed to regulate interstate trade. The states would set up trade agreements and create tensions between each other. In short, the economy under the Articles of Confederation was very problematic, costing potential trade partners and creating many issues in the states. 

Military issues also became very apparent under the Articles of Confederation. As a new, vulnerable country, the U.S. would be an easy target for other countries to invade. This made raising and maintaining an army especially important. However, congress had no power to raise an army. Without taxes, the government did not have the necessary funds for resources and soldier pay. The government’s inability to tax also resulted in the United States not being able to pay off their war debts to the French, which could have easily started conflict. Without an army, a war could have been devastating.

All of these weaknesses caused the United States many massive problems that affected politics, the economy, and the military. However, the Articles of Confederation were not all bad. It’s weaknesses served as a crucial learning experience and the driving force behind the construction of the United States Constitution.