Factors that caused the U.S. government to transition from the Articles of Confederation to the Constitution

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Factors that caused the U.S. government to transition from the Articles of Confederation to the Constitution

The Articles of Confederation led to the creation of strong states and weakened the powers of the central government. Each state had its own government, independence and power to control its political and economic systems. The main reason for the adoption of the Articles of Confederation was to weaken the national government as a way of avoiding the problems that Americans experienced during the colonial period (Gillman et al., p. 68). However, the Articles could not regulate the growing states, which led to the transition to the constitution. In addition, the Articles of Confederation had vested too much power in the state governments, which challenged the execution of duties and legislation of policies (Prince, p. 45). The transition to the constitution intended to deal with the problem of lack of central leadership where states were independent from each other and the national government. In most cases, states passed policies that did not rhyme with those of the national government, which challenged economic and political prosperity.

Lack of a common currency was also another factor that led to the transition to the constitution. The Articles of Confederation did not establish a single currency to be used by all states in the United States, which challenged foreign trade and inter-state trade. Difficulties in raising national revenue was also a factor that led to the transition. The state governments had the power to collect taxes from the public and then loan the national government (Prince, p. 124). Therefore, the national government did not have the funds required to finance its roles such as clearing foreign debts and maintaining foreign relations. Most of the factors that led to the transition were the results of the inefficiencies caused by the structure of government in the 1780s.

The inadequate powers of the congress was one of the factors that challenged the working of the Articles of Confederation. The congress could not impose taxes or influence trade between states and foreign entities. Additionally, the congress did not have any mechanisms of passing its policies and influencing legislation due to lack of the executive and a court system. The structure of the government also made it difficult to pass laws affecting the American people because all states had to vote unanimously to pass such laws. It was very difficult for all states to adopt a unanimous vote on an issue. The structure of the government, which vested powers on the state governments, challenged the economic and political systems in the United States, which led to the transition. ‘

The three portions of the U.S. Constitution

The Preamble

This is the non-legal part of the constitution. It outlines the basic reasons for writing the constitution as well as the structure and contents of the document. The preamble also indicates how the constitution was created to safeguard the will of the American people in its opening words “We are the People of the United States.” (Peterson and Brian, p. 100) It helps in understanding the constitution by outlining the reasons that prompted its adoption. Many scholars use the preamble as an aid to interpreting the constitution but not the legal implications.

The Articles

The constitution has seven articles with each of the articles having its own unique contents. The constitution has seven articles that highlight the legislation passed at the Constitutional Convention. The articles summarize the basic law in the United States that determines the structure of the government. The articles explain the powers vested on each arm of the government and its leaders. For instance, Article II summarizes the powers of the executive and the president who is the leader of the government (Peterson and Brian 96). The articles highlight the powers vested on each level of government and provide the procedure and requirements of ratifying the constitution.

The Amendments

The amendments section captures the need to change the constitution that may arise in the course of time. It outlines all changes that have been made to the constitution over time. The amendments originate from the states or the congress as outlined in the articles portion. The amendments portion begins by highlighting the bill of rights that is an integral part of the American people. Presently, the constitution has 27 amendments with the first ten touching on the bill of rights (Peterson and Brian 58).

Structure of the Current U.S. Government

The government of the United States is divided into the federal government and the state governments. The federal government has three branches; the legislature, the judiciary and the executive (Storey, p. 89). The three branches of government are independent of each other although they are interdependent. The president is the leader of the government and shares power with the congress and other systems of government. The constitution outlines the powers of each branch of the government, the powers of the president who is the leader of government and the interaction between state governments and the federal government (DiIulio, p. 105). The state governments govern the affairs of their state governments through legislation and other activities as outlined in the constitution. The constitution outlines the unique responsibilities of each level of government.

Works Cited

DiIulio, John J. American Government. Belmont, Calif: Wadsworth, 2010. Print.

Gillman, Howard, Mark A. Graber, and Keith E. Whittington. American Constitutionalism. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013. Print.

Peterson, Christine, and Brian Bascle. The U.S. Constitution. Mankato, Minn: Capstone Press, 2009. Internet resource.

Prince, Le B. B. Articles of Confederation Vs. the Constitution. S.l.: General Books, 2010. Print.

Storey, William. Us Government and Politics. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2010. Print.