FD: Articles of Confederation

• First US Constitution

• Government was needed after independence declaration

• Confederation: when several smaller governments unite to form a central power

• The US was a Confederacy at the beginning

• Powers were given mostly to state governments and few to the national government

• “Each state retains its sovereignty, freedom and independence, and every Power, Jurisdiction and right, which is not by this confederation expressly delegated to the United States, in Congress assembled”

  • All powers not expressly given to Congress are for states

• States are supreme

• Article 5: Only one federal government branch is described: the Congress (legislative)

  • There is no executive or judiciary described
  • Congress will operate with each state having one vote, equal representation

• A centralized government was needed to handle foreign affairs

  • Article 6: no state cannot without full consent engage in foreign affairs

• Article 6 restricts Congress and says it cannot maintain a standing army

  • States therefore have well regulated standing militias

• Article 9 mentions actual congressional powers

  • intermediate in state disputes, fiexes tandars weights and measures
  • says Congress cannot declare war unless 9/13 agree (supermajority)

• Article 13 makes it nearly impossible to amend with unanimous consent needed

Actual Achievements:

• Established a central government from scratch
• Avoided tyranny by giving it no power

In 1787 a Constitutional Convention was had where a new Constitution was drafted to fix all these issues creating the USC we have today!