Malcolm Rivera
The US Constitution was not the first constitution. The Articles of Confederation, adopted by the Second Continental Congress in 1777 and ratified by the states in 1781, was America's first framework of national government. However, it had no enforcement powers, couldn't regulate commerce, or print money, and it was superseded by the US Constitution on March 4, 1789.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| First constitution | Articles of Confederation |
| Date of first draft | August 6, 1787 |
| Date of superseding | March 4, 1789 |
| Number of articles | Seven |
| Powers of the federal government | Legislative, executive, and judicial |
| Legislative branch | Bicameral Congress |
| Executive branch | President and subordinate officers |
| Judicial branch | Supreme Court and other federal courts |
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What You'll Learn
The Articles of Confederation was the first constitution of the United States
The Articles of Confederation gave the Confederation Congress the power to make rules and request funds from the states, but it had no enforcement powers, couldn’t regulate commerce, or print money. This led to disputes between the states over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade, threatening to tear the young country apart.
Recognising the flaws of the Articles of Confederation, Alexander Hamilton helped convince Congress to organise a Grand Convention of state delegates to work on revising it. The first draft of the new constitution was accepted on August 6, 1787, and it superseded the Articles of Confederation on March 4, 1789.
The US Constitution delineates the frame of the federal government, with its first three articles embodying the doctrine of the separation of powers. The federal government is divided into three branches: the legislative, consisting of the bicameral Congress (Article I); the executive, consisting of the president and subordinate officers (Article II); and the judicial, consisting of the Supreme Court and other federal courts (Article III).
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The Articles of Confederation was ratified in 1781
The Articles of Confederation, ratified in 1781, was the first constitution of the United States. It was adopted by the Continental Congress on November 15, 1777, and came into force on March 1, 1781, when Maryland ratified it. The Articles of Confederation was America's first framework of national government, crafted during the American Revolution. It formed a wartime confederation of states, creating a weak central government that largely preserved state power and independence. While the Articles of Confederation made official some of the procedures used by the Continental Congress to conduct business, it had no enforcement powers, couldn't regulate commerce, and couldn't print money. It also couldn't tax and was generally impotent in setting commercial policy. This led to disputes over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade, threatening to tear the young country apart. Recognising the flaws of the Articles of Confederation, Alexander Hamilton helped convince Congress to organise a Grand Convention of state delegates to work on revising it. The result was the US Constitution, which superseded the Articles of Confederation on March 4, 1789.
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The Articles of Confederation had no enforcement powers
The Articles of Confederation were the first constitution of the United States, but they were superseded by the US Constitution on March 4, 1789. The Articles of Confederation were adopted by the Second Continental Congress on November 15, 1777, and ratified by the states in 1781. They were crafted during the American Revolution and formed a wartime confederation of states.
The Articles of Confederation gave the Confederation Congress the power to make rules and request funds from the states, but it had no enforcement powers. This meant that Congress could not regulate commerce, print money, or enforce attendance. The Articles also did not make federal law supreme over state law, and it was unclear whether federal law was binding in state courts without state legislation implementing it.
The lack of enforcement powers led to disputes between the states over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade, which threatened to tear the young country apart. Alexander Hamilton noted in The Federalist No. 9 that a body without enforcement powers could not function effectively as a government.
As a result, Hamilton helped convince Congress to organize a Grand Convention of state delegates to work on revising the Articles of Confederation, which ultimately led to the creation of the US Constitution.
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The Articles of Confederation couldn't regulate commerce
The US Constitution was not the first constitution. The Articles of Confederation, which was ratified in 1781, was the first constitution of the United States. It was America's first framework of national government, creating a weak central government that preserved state power and independence.
The Articles of Confederation could not regulate commerce. It gave the Confederation Congress the power to make rules and request funds from the states, but it had no enforcement powers. Congress lacked the authority to regulate commerce, making it unable to protect or standardise trade between foreign nations and the various states. It could not tax and was generally impotent in setting commercial policy. Nor could it effectively support a war effort. Congress was attempting to function with a depleted treasury; and paper money was flooding the country, creating extraordinary inflation. It was also worthless in enforcing good interstate relations because it did not endow Congress with the authority to regulate interstate trade or to intervene in questions of interstate disputes, except as a last resort.
In 1784, Congress requested that the states grant it limited power over commerce for a period of fifteen years, but many of the states did not comply. In 1785, twenty-seven-year-old delegate James Monroe again stressed the need for increased congressional power over commerce. Congress appointed a committee, chaired by Monroe, to investigate the problem. On February 16, 1785, the committee recommended amending the Articles of Confederation so that Congress would have power over commerce.
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The Articles of Confederation couldn't print money
The Articles of Confederation was the first constitution of the United States, but it was soon replaced by the US Constitution. The Articles of Confederation were established in 1781, shortly after the United States gained independence from Great Britain, to provide a framework for government. However, this government structure was very limited in authority, leading to several economic issues.
One of the main problems with the Articles of Confederation was that the national government did not have the power to levy taxes and depended on state contributions, which were often insufficient. This made it difficult for the government to raise the money needed for operations, pay debts from the Revolutionary War, and secure resources for defence.
Another significant issue was that the states were not allowed to print their own paper money, which limited their ability to control their economies. The Articles of Confederation could not be changed unless all states approved, making it difficult to address any financial issues.
The Articles of Confederation also gave the Confederation Congress the power to make rules and request funds from the states, but it had no enforcement powers, couldn't regulate commerce, or print money. The states' disputes over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade threatened to tear the young country apart.
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Frequently asked questions
No, the US Constitution superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, on March 4, 1789.
The Articles of Confederation was America's first framework of national government, adopted by the Second Continental Congress on November 15, 1777, and ratified by the states in 1781. It created a weak central government, giving the Confederation Congress the power to make rules and request funds from the states, but it had no enforcement powers, couldn't regulate commerce, or print money.
The Articles of Confederation created a "league of friendship" between the states, largely preserving state power and independence. However, it had many flaws, including a lack of enforcement powers, an inability to regulate commerce, and an inability to print money. These issues, along with disputes over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade, threatened to tear the young country apart.
