Confederation and Constitution



Confederation and Constitution

In 1777, after the English colonies in North America won their independence, the Second Continental Congress created the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union. It was a document whose measures begin to be applied only in 1781, when the last of the thirteen states signed the agreement. The articles stipulated that each colony act as an independent state with the right to pass laws within their territories. After his experience with England colonies showed cautious about the possible formation of a strong central government. Therefore they sought to continue the power in the hands of the states. Government formed by the Articles of Confederation had no executive or judicial power.

There was only one delegate committee composed of representatives of each of the states. These individuals made ??up the Congress, which was a national legislature. Congress was responsible for conducting foreign affairs, declaring war, and maintains an army, among other minor issues. However, Articles forbade Congress to levy taxes, regulate interstate commerce, and law enforcement. This situation would end on September 17, 1787, with the adoption of the Constitution of the United States (Johnson, 2013).

It is clear that there are many contradictions in falling signatories own Declaration of Independence or the signatories of the Constitutions of each of the States. Persistence of slavery, exclusion of the vote to women, etc, but the first steps of democracy had, no doubt, in the old thirteen British colonies in North America. And democracy must be done every day, is not a finished system. Therefore, one of the major decisions taken by the Americans after the war, in a permanent way of self-improvement that is democracy, come from a deep correction of the political system that shortly before had given themselves and all to achieve "common prosperity and common defense" of the thirteen territories and their citizens. From it can be considered the first American-Constitution Articles of Confederation March 1781 - each of the states (former colonies) was sovereign and independent, had its own constitution and its Assemblies were the representation of sovereignty “each State” (Graebner, et. al., 2011).

These parliaments has resulted from elections in which was extended in a remarkable manner the electoral law of large social groups, including peasants and workers, many of whom reached in those years of the Revolution the right to vote. The Continental Congress was a semblance of central government, and practically devoid of any power. It happened since 1783 have serious problems of all kinds, as the huge economic dependence that the newly independent United States had with the ex-metropolis-because of the lack of coordination between each of the States and caused even conflict over control of craved Western Territory, or tariff wars. And in a climate of social tension in the post-war economic recession which resulted in riots in several States and alarmed many politicians. 

This critical situation beginning on or made ??up voices for the formulation of a new constitution and so it came to the call for a Constitutional Convention which was to meet in Philadelphia in May 1787 to ...