The Articles of Confederation was created in 1777 and was the first form of government for the United States.
In 1787, the articles of confederation was removed and the constitution was established. The united states constitution was a extreme change from the articles of confederation because of the presence of the executive branch and military. The articles of confederation (AOC) provided a weak national government. States had the more power than the government did. The AOC was a unicameral house which meant that each state had one vote. The national government was weak because it couldn’t tax, regulate interstate commerce, and fund a military.
The government would borrow money from other countries to help fund the war, but when the time came to pay back the money loaned to them, they would not be able to do that. According to the AOC, they could not tax, and this caused an influx of debts. This flaws of the confederation and shay’s rebellion made people want a strong central government that could be able to do all the things that the AOC didn’t allow such as, taxing, have a military, and regulate interstate commerce. Delegates from 13 states came together and decided that they needed a strong central government, and thus the constitution was created. The United States constitution consisted of a stronger federal government, had a bicameral house, had three different branches of government (executive branch, legislative branch, judicial branch), and the power of the states was divided with the government. The executive branch gives power to the president, vice president and cabinet; they carry/ enforce laws.
The judicial branch gives power to the supreme court, and other federal courts; it interprets laws and decides if a law contravenes the constitution.The legislative branch gives power to the bicameral/ congress, senate, and house of representatives; it makes the law. The articles of confederation can not have a military while the constitution could have military. The congress of the confederation had the power to make peace and war but could not assemble its own military, because it lacked the funds to do that. The confederation depended on states for soldiers and armies. The constitution would allow congress to have the power to declare war. The U.S constitution can be able to raise and support its own army, and can demand for military if needed for national defense.
To sum it up, the United States constitution compared to the Articles of Confederation, an ineffective form of government made the country adapt to a more stable and better form of government.
