Differences Between The Articles Of Confederation And The Constitution Chart
Introduction
The Articles of Confederation and the Constitution are two important documents that played a significant role in the history of the United States. Both documents were written to outline the functions and powers of the government, but they differ in many ways. This article will discuss the differences between the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution chart.
Background Information
The Articles of Confederation were written in 1777 and were the first attempts to create a national government in the United States. They were adopted in 1781 and remained in effect until 1789 when the Constitution was ratified. The Constitution, on the other hand, was written in 1787 and ratified in 1788. It replaced the Articles of Confederation as the supreme law of the land.
Structure of Government
The Articles of Confederation established a weak central government with most of the power given to the states. The government had no executive or judicial branches and only a unicameral legislature. The Constitution, on the other hand, created a strong central government with three separate branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. This system of checks and balances ensured that no one branch had too much power.
Representation
The Articles of Confederation gave each state one vote in Congress, regardless of size or population. This meant that smaller states had the same amount of power as larger states. The Constitution, on the other hand, established a bicameral legislature with representation based on population in the House of Representatives and equal representation in the Senate.
Taxation and Commerce
The Articles of Confederation gave the central government no power to tax or regulate commerce. This meant that each state could set their own trade policies, leading to economic chaos. The Constitution, on the other hand, gave the federal government the power to tax and regulate commerce between states. This helped to create a more stable economy.
Amendments
The Articles of Confederation required unanimous approval from all 13 states to make amendments. This made it difficult to change the document and led to many issues. The Constitution, on the other hand, created a process for amending the document that required approval from two-thirds of Congress and three-fourths of the states. This made it easier to change the document when necessary.
Conclusion
The Articles of Confederation and the Constitution are two important documents that played a significant role in the history of the United States. While both documents were written to outline the functions and powers of the government, they differ in many ways. The Constitution created a stronger central government with three separate branches, while the Articles of Confederation established a weak central government with most of the power given to the states. The Constitution also established a process for amending the document and gave the federal government the power to tax and regulate commerce between states. These differences helped to create a more stable and effective government in the United States.
