Comparing The Articles Of Confederation And The Constitution Chart Answers
Introduction
The Articles of Confederation and the Constitution are two important documents that shaped the history of the United States of America. The Articles of Confederation were the first document that formed the basis of the government in America, while the Constitution replaced the Articles of Confederation and formed the current government in America.
Background
The Articles of Confederation were written in 1777 and ratified in 1781. The purpose of the Articles of Confederation was to create a loose confederation of states that could work together to defend against the British during the Revolutionary War. However, the Articles of Confederation had many flaws and were eventually replaced by the Constitution in 1787.
Structure of Government
The Articles of Confederation created a weak central government that had limited powers. The government consisted of a unicameral Congress that had no power to tax, regulate trade, or enforce laws. On the other hand, the Constitution created a strong central government that had three branches: the executive, legislative, and judicial. This system of checks and balances ensured that no one branch had too much power.
Representation
The Articles of Confederation had a one-state, one-vote system in Congress, which meant that smaller states had the same power as larger states. However, the Constitution created a bicameral Congress that had a Senate and a House of Representatives. The Senate had equal representation for each state, while the House of Representatives was based on population.
Taxation
The Articles of Confederation did not give the federal government the power to tax, which made it difficult to raise funds for the government. However, the Constitution gave the federal government the power to tax, which made it easier to fund the government and its programs.
Amendments
The Articles of Confederation required unanimous consent from all 13 states to make changes to the document. However, the Constitution only required a two-thirds vote from Congress and three-fourths of the states to make changes to the document.
Bill of Rights
The Articles of Confederation did not have a Bill of Rights, which meant that there were no protections for individual rights. However, the Constitution included a Bill of Rights that protected individual rights such as freedom of speech, religion, and the press.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution were two important documents that shaped the history of the United States of America. While the Articles of Confederation created a weak central government, the Constitution created a strong central government with checks and balances to ensure that no one branch had too much power. The Constitution also included a Bill of Rights that protected individual rights, which was not included in the Articles of Confederation.