Government established the Departments of Foreign Affairs, War, Marine, and Treasury. Congress had no power to coin money, therefore each state developed its own currency. Congress was unable to regulate interstate and foreign commerce some states refused to pay for goods they purchased from abroad.
<h2>Strengths & Accomplishments:</h2>
Government signed a treaty of alliance with France in 1778.
Government successfully waged a war for independence against the British.
Government negotiated an end to the American Revolution in the Treaty of Paris, signed in 1783.
Government granted the free inhabitants of each state “all the privileges and immunities of free citizens in the several states.”
Government provided for the eventual admission of Canada into the Confederation.
Government passed the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, which allowed the Northwest Territories to organize their own governments.
It allowed the eventual admission to the Union of no more than five states, and no fewer than three, “on an equal footing with the original states.”
The Ordinance also banned slavery from the region.
Government established the Departments of Foreign Affairs, War, Marine, and Treasury.
<h2>Weaknesses:</h2>
Congress had no power to coin money, therefore each state developed its own currency.
Congress was unable to regulate interstate and foreign commerce; some states refused to pay for goods they purchased from abroad.
Congress was unable to impose taxes, it could only borrow money on credit.
No national court system was established to protect the rights of U.S. citizens.
No executive branch was established to enforce laws.
Amendments could be added only with the approval of all 13 states.
Approval of 9 of 13 states was required to pass a law in Congress.
One vote was allotted for each state, despite the size of its population.
It was just a “firm league of friendship.”
<h2>What are the strengths of the US Constitution?</h2>
Its self-correcting and self-regulating nature made possible through amendments, the constitutional supremacy it embraces, the bill of rights, the separation of powers and its simplicity of design are major strengths of the constitution.
The Constitution is a timeless document due to the adaptability of its nature.
<h2>What is the weakness of the US Constitution?</h2>
Too much power is given to unelected and unaccountable judges.
It can be argued that the growth of presidential and federal power has not been sufficiently constrained and that constitutional rights and states' rights are therefore not sufficiently protected.
The United States first written constitution was The Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union. Fear of centralized power and expansive territory claims by states hampered its advancement when it was hastily written in 1777 during a period of war.
Strength and weakness of the articles of confederation.
Strength of articles of confederation.
In 1778, the government ratified an alliance pact with France. The government successfully fought the British in a war of independence. In the Treaty of Paris, which was signed in 1783, the government negotiated the end of the American Revolution.
The government extended "all the privileges and immunities of free citizens in the different states" to each state's free residents.
The government made provisions for Canada's potential membership in the Confederation.
The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 was passed by the government, allowing the Northwest Territories to set up their own governments. It permitted the eventual admission of no fewer than three, but no more than five, states "on an equal footing with the original states" to the Union. Slavery was outlawed in the area as well by the Ordinance.
Weakness of articles of confederation.
Since Congress lacked the authority to mint money, each state created its own currency.
Congress was unable to control both domestic and international trade, and several states refused to pay for the commodities they had imported.
Congress was only able to borrow money on credit; it was not allowed to impose taxes.
To uphold the rights of American citizens, no national court system was established.
There is no executive branch to carry out law enforcement.
The addition of amendments required the consent of all 13 states.
To enact a law in Congress, support was needed from 9 of the 13 states.
To learn more about the strengths and weaknesses of the article of the confederation, refer to-
The primary way in which Shay's Rebellion showcased the economic issues of the age was that it proved that the federal government lacked any adequate means to put down the rebellion, and that there was no central system of taxation, which was needed to pay of war debts.
New York Times vs The United States was a legal case in which the Supreme Court ultimately ruled in favor of the newspaper to publish classified Pentagon papers without the risk of being censored by the government. President Nixon, relying on executive authority, attempted to force The New York Times into not publishing the documents.
The court based its decision on the first amendment of the Constitution, which prevented the government to create laws that would censor the right of freedom of speech of the citizens.
