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Why The Articles Of Confederation Failed

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During and subsequent to The American Revolutionary War, the new Country operated under The Articles of Confederation. Fearing that any central government in time would grow oppressive and tyrannical The Articles deliberately produced a weak government, which in time was destined to fail. The primary causation for the Constitutional Convention of 1787 was the failure of the Articles of Confederation. The Delegates of the Convention acknowledged that the only component that possessed the ability to inhibit the public’s freedom was their own government. Whether it was too weak and decentralized (in that it gave too much power to the states) or too centralized and powerful (similar to the British monarchy). The Constitution’s Framers did not believe in a direct democracy; they …show more content…

X “[...]a pure Democracy[...] can admit of no cure for the mischiefs of faction. A common passion or interest will, in almost every case, be felt by a majority of the whole...and there is nothing to check the inducements to sacrifice the weaker party[…]”. Madison argues that a Democratic government will always comply with the majority rule and therefore the minority will always be unrepresented. To most elites Shays Rebellion showed that too much democratic liberty amongst the lower classes had the potential to threaten private property. They were afraid that the state governments were being dominated by the lower class that would institute bad policies such as the debt forgiveness.
Madison’s rhetorical comparison of men to angels emphasizes that human nature is less than angelic. Essentially if men were angels there would be no crime or conflict, there would not be a necessity for a government or any accountability because there would be no fear of tyranny. Men are not angels and are susceptible to corruption, Madison’s quote speaks caution in the approach of a big

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