The primary goal of this essay is to compare and contrast the content of the Articles of Confederation and the U.S. Constitution by presenting the weaknesses and threats of both documents. It could be assumed that the U.S. Constitution provides detailed information about the importance of government by providing additional powers to the Congress and independent executive and underlining the principles of unity in American society. One of the primary differences between these two important legal documents is the attitudes and presence of independent executive. In this instance, the Articles of Confederation did not insist on having one, as all of the states were sovereign and did not want to lose their freedoms (Gunlicks 147). It could be considered as the weakness, as not central power was introduced. As for the Constitution, the independent executive was determined by the voting (“Utah State University: Comparison” par. 1). In this instance, it was one of the benefits of the Constitution, as the states remain sovereign but all of them were controlled by one executive.
Another aspect is the differences in addressing the readers in the introductions of each document. In this instance, the Articles of Confederation start by saying “We, the States”, and the Constitution states “We, the people” (McNeese 26). In this instance, the Constitution emphasizing being close to people by promoting unity and democracy in the United States of America. Its primary advantage is being close to people and considering their opinions. In turn, the Articles of Confederation’s intention is also beneficial. However, it is vague in definition due to the inability to define the hierarchy of the citizens and the Articles of Confederation.
Lastly, the differences between the Articles of Confederation and the U.S. Constitution. The Articles of Confederation limit the actions of Congress. This aspect results to provide sufficient decisions regarding the taxation system. This aspect could be considered as the primary drawback. In turn, the Constitution allows Congress to “lay the taxes” and regulate the external and domestic trade and other operations (“Utah State University: Comparison” par. 1). It could be said that this fact contributes to the achievement of the common goals and wealth in the United States of America and underline the importance of the citizens’ opinions by the American government. In conclusion, it could be said that the substantial benefit of the US Constitution is its focus on the people’s opinion and implying their importance in the decision-making on the national level.
Works Cited
Gunlicks, Arthur. Comparing Liberal Democracies: The United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, and the European Union. Bloomington: iUniverse, 2011.
McNeese, Tim. U.S. Constitution. Dayton: Milliken Publishing Company, 2001. Print.
Utah State University: Comparison of Constitution and Articles of Confederation 2008. Web.