Weakness_of_the_Articles_of_Confederation

Allie Caffrey 10/31/12 DBQ essay Kerr/p6 America is unique in that it was founded on the power of the individual and the idea of natural rights, which we can credit to the founding fathers that wrote our Constitution. The Articles of Confederation provided our country with a prototype of government to work with, and quickly revealed weaknesses that would need to be amended to be able to run the country effectively. The task the founders and writers now faced was to create a document that provided the government with more power than the Articles of Confederation, yet without infringing on an individual’s rights. Newly American citizens consisted of people who had just been liberated of England’s oppressive monarchy that was inconsiderate of its people’s best interests and instead valued their economic opportunity more greatly. These people had just witnessed their government impose things such as The Stamp Act, The Townshend Act, and The Quartering Act. They were fearful of their future governing body holding the power to inflict similar actions, therefore apprehensive about the first draft of the Constitution. These people, given the name of the Anti-Federalists, required the constitution give them more security in their rights to freedom of speech, religion, and press, as these were their main concerns (document two). Not only worried about their rights but of their say in government decisions, citizens lacking wealth or land felt they were not adequately represented and surmised that only white land owners would be in power (document five). These were not unfounded beliefs, and while a strong, central government was essential for America to make it as a country, the writers of the constitution had to make revisions in order to obtain the 9 states approval it needed to be ratified. It wouldn’t be ridiculous for one to speculate that the Articles of Confederation had more or less failed America and improvement was desperately needed to ensure she would have a future. Each state was acting as its own country, and it made progress impossible when there wasn’t a higher power to answer to (document three). People in favor of said higher power, dubbed Federalists, believed an efficient government needed to be able to make command decisions while still being checked and balanced by a Congress and House of Senate. But this belief alone would not appease Anti-Federalists and would not allow the Constitution as it was to pass. The Bill of Rights was added to provide those at unease with protection of their rights in writing, giving them no reason to oppose it any longer (document six). It covered all the bases, with broad and somewhat vague statements reiterating the freedom of speech, religion, and press that before had been absent from the Constitution. America was a fledgling country, and it demanded a dependable and secure government to guide it into success. It also demanded a government that would protect its citizen’s rights, and that those rights be a priority. During the process of writing the Constitution, some were wary of a stronger government, feared they were trading one dictatorship for another. Others viewed it as creating a unified front that made America appear as a force to be taken seriously. In the end, The Bill of Rights solved any issues pertaining to having insecure liberties, making the new democracy seem less like England’s monarchy and more of a government made by the people, for the people.