Articles Of Confederation Failure

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Have you ever wondered what our government looked like before the Constitution? The Articles of Confederation were a document that served as a precursor to the United States Constitution. The Articles of Confederation were written by a committee of men, who were appointed by the Second Continental Congress, much like with the Declaration of Independence. These men starting writing it in 1776, and finished the document after just 16 months. However, it took 3 years to get approval from all 13 states, and in 1781 it was ratified. This document lasted until 1789, when the current Constitution was adopted. The goal of this document was to create an alliance between the 13 states, while still giving the central government very little power. The …show more content…
First, the Articles showed that a country did need a stronger national government to last, and this document was a major step in reaching that. Additionally, two important laws to help settle the West were passed under the Articles of Confederation, which were the Land Ordinance of 1785 and the Northwest Ordinance of 1787. These two laws helped settle disputes over land between states. Finally, it was these Articles that gave this country its name as the United States of America. Therefore, without this crucial document, America could be completely different than the America today.

In summary, the Articles of Confederation were an important milestone in reaching the government we have today. This document served as the plan for the first democratic nation of the time, and led to the Constitution. The Articles had a major impact on the limitations of the small federal government. As well, the document put much power in the hands of the states. And while many portray the Articles of Confederation as a disaster, many beneficial outcomes resulted from it. This goes to show that the Articles of Confederation were an important document for the United States of