Confederation and Constitution
Article two of the confederation stated, “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.” This posed a significant problem to the federal government since each state had its money systems. Lack of common currency between the central government and the states made it difficult to trade. It equally affected trade with other countries because there was no commonly established currency. Consequently, it was difficult for the federal government to control foreign policy since each state had its jurisdiction and right.
Article seven gave states the right to choose their military leaders. It became a big problem because the federal government did not have control over the military, implying that the United States lacked a unified military. In the case of a rebellion or war, the federal government could not bring together the military from the states (Kelly, 2020). This posed a threat to the security of the United States since the mandate of military lied within the respective states. The federal government was, therefore, weak to the extent it could not guarantee citizens their safety.
The ratification process of the constitution entailed several changes to the draft constitution. Upon convention of delegates, a bicameral legislature was agreed upon, and people were given the mandate to elect representatives in the lower house. State legislatures were to send delegates to the upper house. Slavery had to be compromised to ensure that the constitution goes through (Madison, 1787). The electoral college was also established to determine the presidential election outcomes. Because of the varied opinions, there arose two groups those who supported the ratification Federalists and those who opposed Anti- Federalists.
References
Kelly, M. (2020).Why the Articles of Confederation Failed. Accessed May 2020.
Madison, J. (1787).7.4 The Constitutional Convention and Federal Constitution. Accessed May 2020.Link:https://openstax.org/books/us-history/pages/7-4-the-constitutional-convention-and-federal-constitution