The Articles of Confederation, Constitution, and Bill of Rights | Drive Thru History: Fourth of July
The Articles of Confederation, Constitution, and Bill of Rights
On July 12, 1776, a little over a week after the Declaration of Independence, the Continental Congress introduced the Articles of Confederation. They were an attempt to loosely knit the 13 states together in a Union, while leaving most authority to the individual states themselves. In short, the Articles of Confederation granted Congress with the power to raise armies, declare war, and sign treaties, but prohibited Congress from other things such as the power of taxation, regulating trade, or collecting tariffs. The Articles of Confederation were signed by such statesmen as John Hancock, Samuel Adams, and John Witherspoon.
After a few years of debate, the original 13 states finally ratified the Articles of Confederation on March 1, 1781. This became the authorizing document for the U.S. federal government for over six years. During those six years, the central government stepped-in to deal with an increasing number of states’ rights issues such as taxes and trade. Many founders got worried that the states would lose more and more rights if the federal government was allowed to get more and more powerful.
As a result, on May 25, 1787, the Continental Congress met in Philadelphia to revise the Articles of Confederation. However, instead of revising them, the representatives ended up replacing them altogether with one of the most significant documents in world history, the United States Constitution.
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