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The article of confederation was the first constitution that was approved in the United States of America. This article was adopted by the continue the complete ratification of the constitution did not occur until the march of 1791. This allowed the colonial state to band total congress in 1777 gather in instances of war, creating a unified government that would be able to work with the 13 states.
The primary advantage that the article of confederation provided was that each state maintained their independence and sovereignty, however, the document had its own benefits and its perks.
Pros:
1. An exceptional way to experience unity- It was the first chief effort to bring everyone together under the umbrella of unity, no matter what their individual perspectives happened to be.
2. It opened the world for the colonialists- without a centralized government, there was no way to connect globally at the top levels of the government. The article of confederation let the rest of the world to know the colonies were to be taken gravely
3. Free movement to the colonialists-it helped in creating borders and honor each state’s dominion at that level. However, the colonialists were Americans and so were given the freedom to move from one state to the other.
4. Trade was opened- the article opened trade and other financial chances within which meant instead of looking globally for what they needed, the states could work in harmony so that everyone could benefit from the transaction.
5. No single wing would make changes to it- to make changes to the constitution all the 13 states were required to endorse to the change. This is what made it hard to correct the constitution, providing a governing steadiness that everybody could depend on.
6. The independence of the states was maintained-the 13 states remained self-governing and movement was not forbidden. This gave the people the chance to travel around other places and better their lives.
7. Congress got the authority to deal with international affairs. The Congress now had the power to negotiate with any international jurisdiction whenever they fall into disagreements.
8. The states had better relations-it created a bond that not only enhanced trade but also helped to fight against forces that would bring any issues between the states.
9. Building and controlling army-The states had a mandate to build and control their own forces.
10. Each state had one vote-after this article, each of the states had one vote and one says on any of the country’s decisions.
Cons:
1. The process of implementation was long- it took a lot of time for the constitution to be affirmed due to numerous factors the main being its uniqueness from Great Britain.
2. Wouldn’t regulate commerce- any trade prospect had to be separately negotiated by each state.
3. Wouldn’t levy taxes-the article of confederation provided no power to levy taxes on the population. This was challenging because the governments needed money to operate.
4. There was too much independence- due to lack of trade parameters in the articles of confederation each state worked as an independent small nation. This simply shows that they treated each other as alliances rather than patriots.
5. It placed value on slavery-Slaves were properties and hence their value was taxed. This is exactly what made things hotter because there were differences in ways of valuing this on both sides.
6. Poor response to emergencies– This article needed affirmations from all states which means it couldn’t be changed and amended with ease. This would delay response to some type of economic and political emergencies.
7. It had many flaws- The document took years to be implemented because many states were reluctant. This is especially because they saw many flaws in this.
8. The constitution was revised- Its purpose on regulating trade and taxes failed which later led to serious changes to the constitution.
9. The Black Americans were exploited-Now that slavery was valued; there were wars of interest between the southern and the Northerners. At last, the slaves were exploited to return the taxes.
10. There were political conflicts-The The states acted as small nations which would mean the political seats have competitively vied. This would bestow mighty political powers between each state.
