Articles of Confederation DBQ

A detailed Summary of Articles of Confederation DBQ


During the Revolutionary War the colonial leaders needed a government to hold them together, while fighting the English king. In 1781 the Articles of Confederation were ratified, effectively tying knots around the new government. The Articles were written to not create a strong government but they did create, however, a basic constitution, and provided a start for the constitution to come later.

Reflecting the fear by the colonies of a British-like government, there was no judiciary or executive branch and congress was weak. Amendments could only be made by unanimous consent of all thirteen states, and national laws required a two-thirds majority. Other inadequacies include areas such as foreign affairs, taxation, and politics itself. There was some unity, however, in the government.

The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 was a successful piece of legislation where the states and government


the "better kind of people" who might be caused by the rebellion to look to "any change that may promise them quiet and security" (Document G). Discontent in the upper and lower classes showed how poor the Articles were at maintaining order.

While Congress could not get the states to agree upon a tariff, they did not even have the power to tax the states. Joseph Jones' letter to George Washington points out that Congress did not have power to demand a tax, only suggest one. Jones indicates that if the Confederation cannot collect taxes, it cannot pay its creditors, and it cannot pay its army, reducing the strength of the government and the country.

John Jay's letter to George Washington speaks of crisis and revolution, probably referring to Shay's Rebellion, the first major uprising against the Confederation. The rebellion was crushed, but it showed the discontentment of the popular masses. The letter also speaks

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 626
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History

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