Grade my History paper

Smaug · 2004-10-19, 12:19 AM

"Compare and contrast the Articles of Confederation with the Constitution. List the strenghts and weaknesses of each document. Why did the Articles need to be replaced?"

Early in its history, the United States of America was less of a single country as it was a loose gathering of separate countries. It�s founding document, the Articles of Confederation, were geared more towards this type of society. They gave more thought to states rights, and the conservation of the states� own constitutions.
From the start, however, there were problems with the newly formed articles. The United States was deep in a $160 million debt. The long and costly war with England took its toll on the colonists. The means with which to pay back the loans from other countries was not there. The federal government had no ability to tax without state consent. They resorted to petitioning the states for money, without much success.
Eventually Massachusetts took matters into its own hands. The rich wanted their loans repaid. The Massachusetts legislature instituted a heavy specie tax. Meaning that you could not pay it with paper money, only gold or silver was accepted. A former soldier, and now Massachusetts citizen, Daniel Shay didn�t like this new tax at all. He organized an armed rebellion. He would chase off tax collectors with gunfire. Unfortunately, the federal government had no power to act here either, to deter Shay. He went unchecked for a while, dodging tax collectors until the Massachusetts militia captured him.
These two incidents, among others, showed some of the founding fathers severe problems with their new country, and they intended to fix them. The new federalists; George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, James Madison, and Alexander Hamilton; outlined their plan for a new government at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. The new plan should have a strong judicial system, and more active Congress. Also, checks and balances would be implemented to prevent one branch from taking complete control. These ideas were a big step up from the Articles of Confederation. The articles stated that states would set up their own judicial systems, using original state charters, and Congress was frequently unpopulated due to lack of incentive. <new>Most Americans liked this plan, simply for the fact that Washington supported it. He was a beloved war hero and citizens believed him. They also supported this due to the fact that the opposition (anti-federalists) main speaker wasn�t there to debate these federalist ideas, Thomas Jefferson. <new>
Once these basic ideas were set, the delegates got down to finer details. One major issue was the model of Congress. A delegate recommended a Bicameral House, with the number of delegates based on state population. However, delegates from the smaller states, like New Jersey, protested, and wanted a House with an equal number of delegates from all states. Eventually the delegates reached �The Great Compromise� and decided upon a mix of both plans. There would be 2 houses, one based on state population (the House of Representatives), and one consisting of an equal number of representatives from each state (the Senate). This new Congress would have stronger powers. They would make laws, approve taxes, confirm cabinet appointments, and declare wars/draft armies. The new Executive Branch would enforce the laws, and command the army. And the improved court system would determine if these laws were constitutional. These were all huge steps up from the local favoring Articles of Confederation. Congress could now approve defense of the nation, and pay for this defense with taxes.
The strength of this new government would soon become evident. To help pay war debts, the newly appointed Secretary of Treasure, Alexander Hamilton, instituted a whiskey tax. The corn growers of Western Pennsylvania were upset at this, and didn�t want to pay it. They began bootlegging their whiskey, and selling it under the table. Hamilton, with the help of Congress, raised an army 12,000 men strong, led by �Light Horse� Henry Lee. The rebellion was crushed and an important precedent was set. The law was enforced. This is a stark contrast to the old Articles of Confederation and its troubles with simple rebels like Daniel Shay.
Soon, more events would support the strength of the new government, and it would become clear that the right choice was made. If the Constitution hadn�t been written, the United States could definitely have failed. European nations with land claims in the Americas would have seen the new nation�s glaring weaknesses and attacked. And easily won, due to the lack of a common defense between the states. This new nation would become the �Great Experiment� and prove that democracy works with important power checks in place.

edit: Sorry about the lack of indentation, I can't get it to work.

martyr · 2004-10-19, 12:20 AM

needs moar formatting

edit1: yeah, better. reading

edit2: overall very good paper.
my points:

1. "bicameral" means "two houses," not, as you indicated, a legislature with equal representation for each state. the great comprimise is the establishment of the bicameral legislature.

2. it's poor grammar to use a forward slash in this kind of paper. just rearrange your ands and commas

3. up in the beginning, "states" needs to be posessive, just like it is at the end of the same sentence

edit3: it's a good paper because you state strong points and cite very distinct examples to support them.

Smaug · 2004-10-19, 12:21 AM

yeah yeah

eXoSloth · 2004-10-19, 12:21 AM

F.

Minus.

Smaug · 2004-10-19, 12:28 AM

I added a bit to the end of one paragraph because I forgot one of the points I was supposed to make. It is marked with <new> tags.

EineBeBoP · 2004-10-19, 12:34 AM

A+

..then again, i didnt actually read it.

1024 · 2004-10-19, 12:35 AM

a big fat F because i cant read your post because you're on my ignore list because you must have been an annoying fuck or an asshole so i put you there.

congratulations.

martyr · 2004-10-19, 12:37 AM

cool. i suggest a bit of structure wrangling with the new bit:

Most Americans liked this plan simply for the fact that Washington supported it, as he was a beloved war hero and citizens believed in him. General acceptance was made easier by the absence of the Anti-Federalists' main speaker, Thomas Jefferson.

edit: my quote just now

PSU: THE VANU ARE COMING THE VANU ARE COMING

Derfud · 2004-10-19, 12:38 AM

C+ Because you are just that average.

Smaug · 2004-10-19, 12:40 AM

Originally Posted by Derfud

C+ Because you are just that average.

Its true. I hate essays.

Anyways, thanks martyr, I'll put that in there. And if anyone could quote me, or relay this, tell 1024 that I'm willing to resolve our conflict or whatever if he would like to as well.

martyr · 2004-10-19, 12:44 AM

Originally Posted by Smaug

Its true. I hate essays.

Anyways, thanks martyr, I'll put that in there. And if anyone could quote me, or relay this, tell 1024 that I'm willing to resolve our conflict or whatever if he would like to as well.

no problem. i'm heading to bed, let us know how you do on it.

1024: i don't know what past you're referring to, but you sound like the whiny bitter party in this situation. best resolve it before we start making fun of you.

again.