article of confederation
The ineffectiveness of the Articles of Confederation was pulling the country apart by the end of the 1780's. It needed improvement in each genre of its structure. In foreign policy, politically, and economically, the country was in a state of collapse. Politically, the writers of the Articles of Confederation forgot two of the three-branch government, the executive and judicial branches. In foreign policy, the country was not respect by any of its peers and could not create an effective treaty. Finally, economic stability was non-existent. The country could not collect taxes, pay debts, or trade effectively. Amidst the chaos, there were few shinning lights in the darkness of the period. One such event was the Northwest Ordinance of 1787. These many flaws threw the country in to a state of disarray between 1781 and 1789. Politically, the weight of government was tilted to one side instead of being balanced. The Legislative branch was the chief agency with the extremely important executive and judicial branches left up to each individual state. Each state had only one vote in the Congress, which may seem fair, but population wise, it was totally unbalanced. Any bill or amendment had to
Also, compared to the European government's of the time, the Articles were a much improved form to work with. Foreign Policy was not a strong point either. Most prominently, was the Northwest Ordinance. The foreign relations with these other nations humiliated the United States and changes needed to occur to reverse this division of the government. Economically, no money could be gained through taxes, debt was piling up, and states were not cooperating. In between all of the faults there were good points to the Articles of Confederation. This government was in actuality no more than an advisor to the states. They would not leave the forts on the northwestern frontier, and continued aiding the Indians against the United States. England did not hold back on the unpleasantness either. ownership of Florida given to them by the British. They were having disputes that led to the levying of taxes on each other. They would not make a treaty or repeal the hated Navigation Laws.
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