Malcolm Rivera
What if the Constitution was never ratified? It's a question that has been asked by many, including Chuck DeVore of the Texas Public Policy Foundation in his alternative-history novel, *Crisis of the House Never United*. If the Constitution had never been ratified, the United States would have been ruled under the Articles of Confederation. The Articles emphasised the sovereignty of individual states and outlined a system of separate entities joined together, rather than a unitary body. This would have given little authority to the central government in inter-state matters.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Authority granted to the central government | Representing the United States in international matters |
| Inter-state matters | Emphasised the sovereignty of individual states |
| Articles of Confederation | Outlined working as a league of separate entities joined together |
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What You'll Learn
What if the USA was ruled under the Articles of Confederation?
If the USA was ruled under the Articles of Confederation, the country would have dissolved. The Articles of Confederation were thrown out and replaced with the Constitution because the country was in mortal danger. The Articles outlined a league of separate entities joined together, rather than a unitary body. The central government had little authority over inter-state matters and emphasised the sovereignty of individual states.
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Would the country have dissolved?
If the Constitution had never been ratified, the country would have been ruled under the Articles of Confederation. The Articles emphasised the sovereignty of the individual states and outlined a system of separate entities joined together, rather than a unitary body. The central government would have had little authority over inter-state matters.
The Constitution was created to fix glaring issues with the Articles of Confederation. For example, Congress had to ask the states for nearly everything. The country was in mortal danger and the Constitution was created to address this.
Without the Constitution, the country may have dissolved. The Articles of Confederation did not give the central government much authority and the country was already in a precarious position. It is likely that the country would have collapsed within 30 years.
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Would the Articles have been thrown out?
The Articles of Confederation emphasised the sovereignty of individual states much more than the Constitution would later recognise. The Articles outlined a league of separate entities joined together, rather than a unitary body.
The whole point of the Constitution was to fix glaring issues with the Articles. For example, the fact that Congress had to ask the states for nearly everything. Everyone knew the country was in mortal danger, and that’s why the Constitution happened.
However, the central government did not technically have the authority to throw out the Articles and invent a new government. But no one cared because the alternative was the brand-new republic collapsing in under 30 years.
Therefore, it is unlikely that the Articles would have been thrown out if the Constitution had not been ratified. The country would have continued to be ruled under the Articles of Confederation, with the individual states retaining more sovereignty.
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How would the country have been governed?
If the Constitution was never ratified, the country would have been governed by the Articles of Confederation. The Articles emphasised the sovereignty of individual states and outlined a league of separate entities joined together, rather than a unitary body. The central government would have had little authority over inter-state matters, but would have been responsible for representing the United States in international matters.
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What would have been the impact on the sovereignty of individual states?
If the Constitution had never been ratified, the United States would have been ruled under the Articles of Confederation. The Articles emphasised the sovereignty of individual states much more than the Constitution would later recognise. The Articles outlined a system of separate entities joined together, rather than a unitary body. Congress would have to ask the states for nearly everything, and the central government would have little authority over inter-state matters.
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Frequently asked questions
The country would have dissolved. The Constitution was created to fix glaring issues, such as the fact that Congress had to ask the states for nearly everything.
The central government would have had authority over representing the United States in international matters, but not much say in inter-state matters.
The sovereignty of the individual states.
The Articles outlined working as a league of separate entities joined together, rather than as a unitary body.
The alternative was to watch the brand new republic collapse in under 30 years.
