Comparison of The Articles of Confederation and The Federal Constitution

This Act was the first internal tax that was levied on all American colonists in 1765, by the British government. The tax obligated American colonials to pay a tax for each and every printed paper the colonists used (Mintz and Sara 5). The money collected was used to pay the cost of guarding and defending the American border neighboring the Appalachian Mountains.

Xyz Affair                                       

This refers to a diplomatic and political episode that took place in 1797 and 1798. The episode involved a conflict between the Republican France and the United States, during the reign of John Adams. The conflict led to an undeclared war referred to as Quasi-War. The affair was important since it led to the creation of the department of navy in 1798 (Mintz and Sara 18). It also led to the formation of alien and sedition act in the same year, which controlled anti-government speech.

Stono Rebellion

This was a trade rebellion that started in 1739 in South Carolina. The rebellion was steered by native Africans, mainly from central African Congo under the leadership of a literate slave called Jemmy (Mintz and Sara 26). The timing of the uprising was influenced by a malaria epidemic that broke out in Charlestown, leading to confusion in Carolina.

Great awakening

Great awakening refers to a series of Christian resurgences experienced in Britain and all its 13 colonies. The revivals took place between 1730s and 1740s (Mintz and Sara 29). Its significance was that it marked the development of Anglo-American evangelicalism which was a movement among protestant churches.

2c.

Why the Founders Created the Articles of Confederation

The Articles of Confederation was created during a time when Americans feared strong national governments. The U.S needed some form of union to bring the states together to form a more resilient economy and avert future attacks (Jensen 34). Articles of Confederation was also considered to be the best way of building unity during that time. Additionally, the loyalty of individuals aligned more with their respective states than with the nation. Articles of Confederation was therefore a critical common ground for fostering cooperation among all the states.

Strengths and Weaknesses

The major strength of the Articles of Confederation was that it set Congress, a legislative body that had the power to sign treaties, pronounce war, restore peace and alliances, and deal with foreign affairs (Jensen 36). Moreover, the Articles of Confederation backed the Congress’ course of the continental army and promoted collaboration and coordination among states.

However, the Articles did not give Congress the power to enforce laws since there was no executive leader or federal court system. Additionally, Congress had no power to regulate trade or levy taxes (Jensen 38). It was also very difficult to amend the Articles of Confederation since doing do necessitated a unanimous decision. Furthermore, Congress did not have power to coin money, compelling each state to make its own currency.

Differences

The major difference between the Federal Constitution and the Articles of Confederation concerned how they interpreted the law. While the Articles of Confederation used a unicameral legislature, the Constitution adopted an eventual bicameral system. Moreover, in the Articles of Confederation, power was delegated to states on the basis of communities and every state had one vote (Jensen 40). On the other hand, the Constitution permitted a single vote for every legislative representative. Importantly, the Constitution formed the executive branch unlike the Articles of Confederation that did not centralize authority.

3.

The conflicting constitutional views held by the Federalists under Alexander Hamilton and the Republicans under Thomas Jefferson invited a two-part system in the U.S. the Federalists consisted of bankers, merchants, manufacturers, plantation owners and wealthy farmers. Most of them owned property, were well educated, and settled along the coast and in New England. On the other hand, the Republicans consisted of shopkeepers, artisans, poor farmers, frontier settlers, and backcountry farmers. Most of them were illiterate and ill-educated and were settled in the interior areas (Smith 249). Hamilton’s group needed a strong central government made of a large republic to control factions. In view of Hamilton, citizens were ignorant and could not govern themselves. As such, Hamilton believed that the common people should be ruled and favored high voting qualifications. On the contrary, Jefferson advocated for states’ rights and held that democratic ideologies were right. According to him, the common man could practice self-government and favored lowering voting qualification.

The federalists wanted commerce, oversea trade, manufacturing, and finance. As such, they advocated for tariffs as well as business protections. The Republicans on the other hand, favored a simple agrarian economy and wanted a yeoman farmer other than big plantation owners  (Smith 249). What is more, they needed the government to support common man’s interests. The Federalists believed that what was not forbidden by the constitution could be done, while the Republicans held that the Constitution had to be strictly interpreted.

However, despite their differences, both factions believed that every American citizen should be given complete freedom. The outcome of the Federalists’ policies could have benefited the wealthy while those of the Republicans could have benefited the common man. In the end, the conflict between the two factions was important as it led to the establishment of social classes in the United States.

Works Cited

Jensen, Merrill. The Articles of Confederation: An Interpretation of the Social-Constitutional History of the American Revolution, 1774-1781. Univ of Wisconsin Press, 1940.

Mintz, Steven, and Sara McNeil. “Digital history.”UH-Digital History (2015). Retrieved (October 23, 2018) from http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu

Smith, Douglas G. “An Analysis of Two Federal Structures: The Articles of Confederation and the Constitution.”San Diego L. Rev. 34 (1997): 249.