Everybody can agree to get along when it benefits them. But when you have to start making sacrifices…let's just say that's when singers go solo.
The delegates of the Continental Congress needed a way to keep the states united during the Revolutionary War, and the Articles of Confederation at least provided something. But different states had different interests in the soon-to-be union.
Some wanted to settle and conquer all the land they could. Some wanted to have a bigger say in national politics than others. Others feared that the national government would hurt them by regulating trade.
And oh, yeah—what about the whole slavery thing? Some states relied on slave economies, while others didn't. What the United States ended up with was a loose system that left almost all domestic rights and responsibilities to the individual states.
Questions About State's Rights
- What are some of the differences between state and federal powers? For example, what are some laws that differ from state-to-state?
- Do you think it was fair for every state to get the same number of votes (one) in the Confederation Congress? Why or why not?
- If the Articles of Confederation were reinstituted today, what laws or practices might change in your home state?
- Choose two states from the original thirteen. Compare and contrast how the Articles of Confederation affected, or might have affected, each state.
Chew on This
The final version of the Articles of Confederation ended up favoring small states, because they got to have just as much sway over federal policy as large states.
By failing to address slavery in any way, the Articles of Confederation laid the foundation for future tensions between the Northern and Southern states.