Comparing the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution

Intro in American Government

Comparing the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution

Hello my name is and I have come today to tell you about the similarities and the differences of the Articles of Confederation and the United States Constitution. Just a little background information about myself, I am a Government major at California Polytechnic University of Pomona . I was asked here today to discuss the matters stated previously. Some of you may be pondering the importance of the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution of the United States. So let us begin with the background information of our founding Fathers.

The founding Fathers consists of Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Hancock, John Adams, George Washington, James Madison, and James Monroe. These were the most known contributors of all the founding Fathers. Each framer has equal contribution to the development of the Constitution and the articles of Confederation. The three greatest contributors to the Constuition in the United States were the founding Fathers in the Constitution and the Articles of the Confederation. But all the ones that I put into perspective are the ones that had done the most work on it and put all the ideas they had together. All of them were well educated people and all you guys should thank the Founding Fathers for what they have done for you. Alright you have already heard about the Founding Fathers from your History teacher so I will go on to explain the thoughts they had and what they did.

The Constitution provides the basic framework of our American Government. The Constitution established the structure of the Government and a written set of rules to stabilizes the conduct of the government . The Constitution was ratified in 1788 in Philadelphia. After long diatribe and political battle between the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists, they finally came to and Agreement. The Constitution divided the national government into three branches; Legislative, Executive, and Judicial. The government is based upon the principles of separation of powers and checks and balances even though in practice many powers and functions interchanged and are shared. In 1791 the states ratified the Bill of Rights in order to protect individuals from the power of the federal government. The 1st Ten Amendments to the Constitution involve provisions for freedom is religion, speech,, press, assembly, and petition. Through the year 2000 the Constitution has been amended twenty seven times due to interminable needs by the people.

Before the Constitution was framed, a weak central government had been established under the Articles of confederation. The Articles of Confederation were created when Richard Lee offered his resolution for independence in June 1776. He proposed that " a plan of Confederation" he prepared for the colonists a confederation is defined as a group of independent states or nations that intertwine for a common residual purpose. The plan was then furthered. The committee was approved by the Continental Congress in November 1977. This plan is also considered as the Articles of Confederation.

The Articles of Confederation was the written framework for the government of the original 13 states. The Articles were ratified by the individual states by March 1, 1781 and went to effect when the war ended. Later Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison persuaded the delegates to bring together to uphold a Constitution Convention in Philadelphia in May 1787. This Convention took place and was approved on February 21, 1787 for the sole purpose of revising the Articles of Confederation. The resolution which Madison strongly influenced and help to draft when for beyond mere revision of the Articles. They purpose a entirely new national Government under a Constitution.

The Similarities Between the Articles of Confederation and the United States Constitution are some what alike but they also are different in the potential that they were two different idea and even though that they were made by the same people, they had got influenced differently after they say that what they did in the beginning had had not worked so they came out then with the United States Constitution. I will explain to you what they did differently and show the similarities and the differences between both them.

Alright if you were to look at both the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution, together and look at them very closely you come to see that both of them are very much different. Even though they were made by the same people it is still very differently put.

The General name of the Nations for the Articles was The United States of America. For the Constitution it did not have one. The Legislature, Articles Unicameral, called congress. For the Constitution Bicameral, called congress, divided into the House of Representatives and the Senate. Members of Congress for the Articles, between two and seven members per state, for the Constitution two senators per state , the representatives are appointed by the population from the state. Appointment of the Members for Congress, the Articles, they were all elected by the state legislatures, in the manner each legislature directed, for the Constitution representative elected by popular vote. The term of legislatives office, for the Articles it is one year, for the Constitution it two years for representatives, and it is six years for senators. Term Limit for legislative office, the Articles no more then three out of every six years, for the Constitution there is none. Congressional Pay in the Articles it is paid by the states, for the Constitution it is paid