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5 pages/β‰ˆ1375 words
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APA
Subject:
History
Type:
Essay
Language:
English (U.S.)
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Topic:

United States History: Strengths and Weaknesses, Comparisons and Contrasts

Essay Instructions:

As depression struck the new nation in the mid-1780s, new questions arose about the nature of American democracy. Many conservatives believed that the answer lay in a stronger national government. Most radicals believed it was up to the states to relieve the financial burden of the people. These sentiments fostered a movement for a new constitution. Political differences soon stimulated the creation of political parties.
Compare and contrast the Articles of Confederation with the new Constitution of 1787. What were the strengths and weaknesses of the Articles vis-à-vis the Constitution? Give specific instances that demonstrate the weakness of the Articles (such as the Western problem).
Then analyze the drafting of the Constitution, using specific details to show how the various states (slave vs. free, east vs. west) compromised in order to effectively draft a constitution. Pay particular attention to Roger Sherman’s plan, the Great Compromise, which broke a stalemate that could have been fatal to the development of the new Constitution.
Finally, compare and contrast the debate over ratification between the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists. Make sure you cite specific examples from the Federalist Papers to support the Federalist position and contrast it with leading proponents of the opposition (such as John Hancock). Analyze how the debate over a bill of rights illustrates the differences between the two parties. Evaluate the relative success of the Bill of Rights in achieving an effective balance between national and states’ interests.
This paper must be four to five double-spaced pages in length (not including the References page) and utilize no less than four academic quality sources. Margins should be no more than one inch (right and left) and the essay should be composed in an appropriate font and size. Sources must be documented and cited using APA format.

Essay Sample Content Preview:

United States History
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The United States radical war had both positive and negative outcomes. The Americans gained independence after defeating the British army while on the other hand; the economy was disrupted after British navy destroyed most of Americans ships inhibiting the smooth flow of trade. In addition, the British restricted exports and flooded the market with cheap goods hence reducing the demand in expensive goods from the US. The depression led to concerns of either making the current government stronger or the drafting of a new constitution (“The economic crisis of the 1780s,â€Β 2008).
Comparisons and Contrasts
After the US defeated the British, there was need of a constitution to guide how the new nation affairs would be undertaken. The article of confederation was the first constitution of the US and was ratified in the year 1781 until the year 1789 when it was replaced by the new constitution (“America’s historical documents,â€Β 2012).
The article of confederation and the new constitution has many similarities and dissimilarities. In the articles of confederation, only the states had the supreme power while on the new constitution, people of the whole nation have supreme power and sovereignty was divided between states and central government. The article of confederation had no autonomous executive while the new constitution has independent executive headed by president who is tasked with choosing of cabinet and provide checks on supremacy of parliament and judiciary. The articles of confederation did not give congress power to collect levy from the states while on the new constitution, it had power to collect levy and duties from persons. In the article of confederation, the congress had no control over interstate and overseas trade while in new constitution; the congress has power to control trade with other nations and inside the states. In articles of confederation the congress consisted of one body and every state had a single vote, while on the new constitution the congress has two bodies where upper house has two votes and lower house is based on population of the state. In the articles of confederation, amendment was done through support of all states, while in the new constitution the amendments are done through support of three quarters of the states. In articles of confederation, congress had only explicit and delegated authority while the new constitution has both indirect and specific authority (Walenta, 1995).
The two constitutions also had similarities. The article of confederation and the new constitution both had legislative branch, could establish military and declare war on other nations, promote peace within the nation and the government was responsible of currency value (Walenta, 1995).
Strengths and weaknesses
The article of confederation and the new constitution had strong point and weak point. The article of confederation had strong point of pronouncing war and making harmony, to borrow funds, sign accords with overseas nations such as accord of association with France in 1778 and to operate post offices. On the other hand, the article of...
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