American Politics Today - Essentials (3rd Ed)

26 CHAPTER 2|THE CONSTITUTION AND THE FOUNDING

that rejected the trappings of royalty, there was still a large contingent of Tories

(supporters of the British monarchy) and probably an even larger group of Ameri-

cans who wished the confl ict would just go away. This context of uncertainty and

confl ict made the Founders’ task of creating a lasting republic extremely diffi cult.

The fi rst attempt to structure an American government, the Articles of Con-

federation, swung too far in the direction of limited government. The Arti-

cles were written in the summer of 1776 during the Second Continental Congress,

which also authorized and approved the Declaration of Independence. The Arti-

cles were submitted to all 13 states in 1777 for approval, but they did not take eff ect

until the last state ratifi ed them in 1781. However, in the absence of any alterna-

tive, the Articles of Confederation served as the basis for organizing the govern-

ment during the Revolutionary War. (See Figure 2.1, “Constitutional Timeline.”)

In their zeal to reject monarchy, the authors of the Articles did not even include a

president or any other executive leader. Instead, they assigned all national power to a

Congress in which each state had a single vote. Members of Congress were elected by

state legislatures rather than directly by the people. There was no judicial branch; all

legal matters were left to the states, with the exception of disputes among the states,

which would be resolved by special panels of judges appointed on an as-needed basis

by Congress. In their eagerness to limit the power of government, the authors of the

Articles gave each state veto power over any changes to the Articles and required

approval from 9 of the 13 states on any legislation.

More important, the states maintained autonomy and did not sacrifi ce any sig-

nifi cant power to the national government. Powers granted to the national govern-

ment, such as making treaties and coining money, were not exclusive powers; that

is, they were not denied to the states. Congress also lacked any real authority over

CONSTITUTIONAL TIMELINE

1776, January

First publication of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense

1775, May

Second Continental Congress

1776, July

Congress adopts the

Declaration of Independence

1781, March 1

Articles of Confederation are ratified

by the requisite number of states

1775–1783

Revolutionary War

1774 1775 1776 1777 1778 1779 1780 1781

1774, September

First Continental Congress

1777, November 15

Articles of Confederation adopted

by Congress, sent to the

states for ratification

Articles of Confederation
Sent to the states for ratifi cation in
1777, these were the fi rst attempt
at a new American government. It
was later decided that the Articles
restricted national government too
much, and they were replaced by the
Constitution.

limited government A political
system in which the powers of the
government are restricted to prevent
tyranny by protecting property and
individual rights.