Articles of Confederation and The Constitution

The Articles of Confederation wasn't a complete bust. Yes it had many weaknesses like a weak central government and a lack of income such as taxes from the states, but the Articles of Confederation also had some good aspects. It created some good plans such as the Ordinance of 1785, which set up a plan to survey wester land. This was a brilliant plan to slit up the land evenly and sell it to the citizens. This plan put aside a portion of the land for schooling in each of the different districts. This allowed any kid who wasn't needed for farming to have an opportunity to go to school. This plan allowed everyone who came to America the opportunity to have their own land to begin a new life. The problem is all the bad out weighed the good of The Articles of Confederation which is what brought about the Constitution which has many good aspects. The Constitution declares that the government has two house, one based of population ( The House of Representatives ) and one equal for all states (The Senate ). This pleased both small and large states and became know as the Great Compromise. The government used the two houses as a system called checks and balances to make sure the president nor either one of the house could become to powerful. The Separation of Powers divided the powers between the President, Senate, and House of Representatives so all decisions had to go through all branches of the government to become final.