What was the purpose of the Federalist Papers?
Who was the intended audience?
Why did the Articles of Confederation fail?
In your discussion, please provide examples of why the Articles of Confederation failed. Make sure you include research to support your examples.
Federalist Paper
Federalist Paper
The federalist paper consists of eighty-five essays written by James Madison, John Jay and Alexander Hamilton. The federalist paper was primarily published in the New York state newspaper and the New York Packet and later reprinted and distributed in other states (Wirls, 2015). The federalist paper was used to convince New York members to vote for the ratification of the constitution, although not every state member supported the ratification.
The federalist papers the main purpose was to preserve the UnionUnion through the ratification of the United States constitution and enable the federal government to act according to American citizens’ interest (Bryan, 2018). Additionally, the eighty-five papers were written to urge New York State members to change the constitution, which was initially written in Philadelphia in 1787. The new draft of the constitution was supposed to be written in detail for future use.
The federalist papers were intended for the people of New York to maintain member states’ safety and welfare. The papers were meant to answer whether the members could choose and develop a better government or the members are meant to live under force exercised and provided by the political constitution (Wirls, 2015). The paper provided the insufficiencies in the confederation. The New York paper was designed to enhance prosperity and liberty, where John Jay discusses the dangers of foreign influence and force.
At the same time, Alexander Hamilton writes about the impact of contention between different states. According to the federalist paper, the people’s safety and welfare depend upon the UnionUnion, which is a symbol of peace and liberty (Kelly, 2016). However, the members of New York complained that the papers gave leaders excessive powers, which would cause loss of liberty. Hamilton, Madison and Jay wrote the papers to defend the state since the confederation article was not competent enough. Madison wrote twenty papers that focused on the need for checks and balances in the government; Hamilton wrote fourteen highlighting the importance of taxation. Jay wrote about the failures of the articles of confederation.
The articles of confederation were written in 1777 as the first constitution of the United States. The articles of confederation made the states independent were the states. Additionally, the states had the authority to guide the armed forces and make treaties that denied the federal government a chance to regulate businesses and levy taxes (Kelly, 2016). As Jay’s articles, the articles of confederation failure originated from to lack of the two main branches of the government, the judicial and executive, which act as checks and balances. Due to the lack of judiciary, congress did not have a national court system.
The article of confederation failed economically, in leadership and in the military, where the congress could not bring together military force from other states; hence, every state has its military. Congress faced challenges in enforcing the law, especially the law of taxation; hence, the nation could not clear debts (Kelly, 2016). Lack of tax laws brought about conflict between different states, especially engaging in the slave trade. Congress, however, could not make rational decisions concerning the slave trade. Due to the fact the congress could not control commerce or levy tax, the revenue came from the state’s private-owned lands, which was insufficient according to the needs of the states.
The American first constitution failures were caused by the weak government in collection of taxes that could fund and support its operation. Congress lacked both international and domestic power to create foreign policies. The confederation article took a long time to be approved by the states where the states approved the constitution in 1779.
References
Bryan, B. (2018). The Federalist Papers. Cavendish Square Publishing, LLC.
Kelly, M. (2016). Why did the Articles of Confederation fail?. American History. http://americanhistory. about. com/od/governmentandpolitics/f/articles_of_ confederation_ fails. htm.
Wirls, D. (2015). The Federalist Papers and Institutional Power in American Political Development. Springer.
