Major changes in a nation’s government system usually require a written account of said changes in order to solidify and reinforce them. This is to ensure no rules or laws can be taken out of context, and a record can be kept for future reference. These written documents lay the groundwork for essential aspects of a country and its functionality. Documents including the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the U.S. Constitution are particularly important to the creation and efficiency of the U.S. and its government. Each had significant effects on America, though they differ in their individual purposes and effects on American society.
The Declaration of Independence was a very influential document through which America declared independence from Great Britain in the year 1776. It was written by Thomas Jefferson and revised before being introduced to Congress. There it sat for a few days until it was passed on July 2, 1776.Within the Declaration were complaints towards Britain and its unjust treatment of the colonies over the years . The document also contained aspects of John Locke’s belief that everyone has certain rights which cannot be taken from them . The result of this document was the birth of a new nation and complete independence from Great Britain1.
Another important document, though not as successful in its intent, in American history is the Articles of Confederation. This was America’s first attempt at a constitution and setting up a government after declaring independence from Britain. The document was a base for the nation’s new government grounded in federalism . There proved to be numerous weaknesses within the Articles of Confederation that affected the stability of the government. These weaknesses include an essentially unsteady central government, an absence of a set currency in the nation, an unchecked interstate trade, and no enforcement of the law- among many others. These issues ultimately warranted a new constitution to be written in its place.
Following the Articles of Confederation was the U.S. Constitution in 1787. The Constitution was an effort to create a stronger central government in America . Drafted by James Madison, this document gave power to the people and displayed federalism in its explanation of the government4. Also described in the U.S. Constitution was a separation of powers between three branches of government (legislative, executive, and judicial). Some people, known as the Antifederalists, argued for a Bill of Rights to be added to the Constitution while others, the Federalists, supported the Constitution as it was. The Bill of Rights was created in 1789 and then later added to the Constitution to state the rights and freedoms of the American people . Overall, the U.S. Constitution defined the government of the United States.
Though each of these three documents had different individual purposes and outcomes, they do share certain qualities. For instance, all three written documents addressed America as a nation and not as an extension of the mother country. Though diverse, they also had profound effects on the new nation as a whole. Lastly, the documents granted only a very small amount of rights to the Natives and African Americans4.
In the end, the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the U.S. Constitution each accomplished their purposes to different extents. Each document was and is important in its own way to giving rise to a government in which the people have a say. All of these important documents contributed to the creation of the United States as the country it is today.