Free Essay Example: Articles of Confederation

Articles of Confederation are considered as the foundational documents for the constitution of America. It contained the terms reached upon by the 13 new states where they agreed to participate in a central government alongside their self-rule system jointly. Despite being together in the centralized government, each sovereign state was to retain its freedom as well as independence. Initially, six drafts of the Articles of Confederation had been prepared before the adoption of the Congress. The Articles of Confederation became effective in March 1781 when all the sovereign states had appended their signatures to the document. It was used as the foundation of the American national government during the American Revolution. The articles were then replaced by the American Constitution, which became effective in 1789. The document formed a critical part of the United States Constitution to date because it was a written agreement and the first constitution in American history. The Articles of Confederation were also critical because they gave Congress the authority to venture into foreign affairs and have the power to wage war, call for peace, and form alliances.

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There are six primary goals of the US Constitution, and they explain the objectives to be achieved that were not fulfilled in the Articles of Confederation. In looking at Articles I, II & III of the Confederation, each one of them serves a purpose. Article I, which is; "The Stile of this Confederacy shall be; "The United States of America" (The Federalist Papers 8) explains how the title of the document shall be named. It outlines the name of the country as a political entity. The article is critical because it gives the material a base from which it can be founded. Article II, on the other hand, explains the sovereignty of every state that is involved except the powers entrusted to the confederation government. It outlines the need for freedom as well as independence for all the states so that there would be no interference by any power on the affairs and progress of the states. Additionally, the article spells out the need for observation of each state’s right to allow them to carry out their activities without interference. Article III outlines how the nations should coexist with one another not as a government or society but as independent states that have entered into an agreement or strong league of friendship with one another.

The article which has the most significant role in fulfilling the goals of the Constitution, as stated in the preamble, is Article III. Article three states:

"The said States at this moment severally enter into a firm league of friendship with each other, for their common defense, the security of their liberties, and their mutual and general welfare, binding themselves to assist each other, against all force offered to, or attacks made upon them, or any of them, on account of religion, sovereignty, trade, or any other pretense whatever" (The Federalist Papers 8). The first goal of the Constitution is the need for the formation of a perfect union among the states. Article III fulfills the purpose because it calls for the creation of a league of friendship, and this means that the rules needed to be more united for the sake of achieving common goals and for more significant benefits. The formation of a league of friends implied that there would be a strong union that would keep them as friends and working together for the progress of their nations. It also fulfills the goals of the constitution, as stated in the preamble, because it calls for common defense where each of the states would ensure that others are protected from wars and any violent interference for the sake of peace. One of the goals of the Constitution is to ensure there is domestic tranquility, and this means that there should be no rebellions or violence among the states; instead, they needed to defend one another and coexist in harmony. Through Article III, there is a call for all the rules to live in harmony with one another, and this means ensuring that there is no waging war but instead participating in activities that foster tranquility. The states were required to defend one another so that there would be peace and domestic tranquility.

Another goal of the Constitution is the provision of collective defense. Although the states were independent, it did not imply that they were safe, and as a result, they were still expected to be on the lookout and watch for one another so that they would fight the enemy from within and from outside. They could even be invaded, and they needed to have a common defense against attacks. Article III fulfills this particular goal of the constitution more because it outlines the need for all the states coming together and protecting themselves against any force or attacks either externally or internally. It fulfills the common defense goal by stating that the rules need to defend one another against any power or attacks made upon them. Besides, having a common defense meant that all the states were required to join hands and work together towards the achievement of the goal. Part of article III countries, "binding themselves to assist each other" (The Federalist Papers 8). It was a call to all the nations to work jointly towards protecting themselves as well as their territories, and this is reflected in the common defense goals of the constitution.

Furthermore, the article fulfills the goals of the constitution more because it explains the need for achievement of mutual and general welfare. It is part of the material which requires people to work towards having and maintain happiness, safety, and success of their desired objectives. One of the goals of the constitution is to promote the general welfare, and this is in agreement with part of article III, which states that their states should work towards achieving mutual and general wellbeing. In this regard, it best supports the goals of the constitution more than the other two articles. Besides, the report recommends the purposes of the law more because it calls for states to keep the securities of their liberties, and this is one of the goals of the constitution. Goal number six of the law requires that the new structure will focus on ensuring that the protection of people's freedoms in all the endeavors of life is upheld in the current time and also for the future generations.

It is important to note that although the other two articles also play a critical role in the fulfillment of the goals of the constitution, section III portrays more aspects of achievement. It explores the targets in various ways, such as echoing liberty, common defense, and establishment of justice, tranquility, and formation of a perfect union, among others. The articles of Confederation laid the foundation of the current constitution of the US, and as such, the goals intertwine with the principles of the Confederation.

Works Cited

Congress, Second Continental. The Articles of Confederation. No Publisher, 2014.

Etown schools. Goals of the US Constitution Retrieved https://www.etownschools.org/cms/lib/pa01000774/centricity/domain/511/constitutiongoalssg-key.pdf Accessed 14th July 2020

The Federalist Papers. The Articles of Confederation Retrieved from http://constitutionnet.org/sites/default/files/the-articles-of-confederation_0.pdf.