article of confederation essays

article of confederation essays The ineffectiveness of the Articles of Confederation was pulling the country apart by the end of the 1780s. It needed improvement in each genre of its structure. In foreign policy, politically, and economically, the country was in a state of collapse. Politically, the writers of the Articles of Confederation forgot two of the three-branch government, the executive and judicial branches. In foreign policy, the country was not respect by any of its peers and could not create an effective treaty. Finally, economic stability was non-existent. The country could not collect taxes, pay debts, or trade effectively. Amidst the chaos, there were few shinning lights in the darkness of the period. One such event was the Northwest Ordinance of 1787. These many flaws threw the country in to a state of disarray between 1781 and 1789. Politically, the weight of government was tilted to one side instead of being balanced. The Legislative branch was the chief agency with the extremely important executive and judicial branches left up to each individual state. Each state had only one vote in the Congress, which may seem fair, but population wise, it was totally unbalanced. Any bill or amendment had to be approved by two-thirds vote or unanimously. These rules made it virtually impossible to change any aspect of the Articles. With no executive branch, the government could not enforce any laws or taxes that were actually passed. As expressed in Document C, the executive branch could not collect the money to pay the armys soldiers. This government was in actuality no more than an advisor to the states. Furthermore, with the judicial branch being left up to every state, there was no uniform interpretation of the new laws or constitution, which made traveling between difficult. The government under the Articles co uld not enforce laws, collect taxes, or even protect itself from threats. ...