A country consists of various states and each state is made up of a huge number of cities. Maintaining such a large population can be very tough. For this purpose, the country’s government makes particular rules and regulations that should be followed by its citizens and the state governments as well. The Article of Confederation and the Bill of Rights of the United States of America is part of such rules formation. They were formed so that the country could be managed properly.
The first-ever constitution that served the United States of America was formed was named the Article of Confederation and perpetual union. It was the agreement between 13 American original states and was approved in November 1777. It was formed to preserve the independence and sovereignty of all the American states so they had to follow this constitution’s rules and regulations.
The first 10 amendments made to the US Constitution are named as Bill of rights. In 1787 the United States of America started facing various challenges and so it required an efficient federal government and so the decision of forming a constitution was taken. But later, the individuals of the country started to have fears and doubts regarding their rights. As a result, the Bill of Rights then brought 10 amendments which gave the people some sense of security of their liberties and rights.
Articles of Confederation vs Bill of Rights
The main difference between the Article of Confederation and the Bill of Rights is that the Article of Confederation was formed to preserve the state’s independence and sovereignty. In contrast, the Bill of Rights was formed to give the people some sense of security of their liberties from the federal government.
Comparison Table Between Articles of Confederation and Bill of Rights
| Parameters of Comparison | Articles of Confederation | Bill of Rights |
| Definition | The agreement that formed the first constitution of the United States of America. | The first 10 amendments made to the US Constitution are named as Bill of rights. |
| Reason | Formed to preserve the state’s independence and sovereignty. | Formed to give the people some sense of security of their liberties from the federal government. |
| Origin | Approved in November 1777 | In 1787. |
| Function | Told the government what it should do. | Told the government what it should not do. |
| After effects | The people of America initially resisted it. | The people of America were happy and satisfied with the Bill of Rights. |
What is Articles of Confederation?
The first-ever constitution that served the united states of America was formed by an agreement between 13 original American states. this agreement was named the Article of Confederation and perpetual union. The constitution was approved in November 1777 by the second continental congress whereas, March 1 marked the date when this constitution came into force.
The idea behind this was to preserve the independence and sovereignty of all the American states. All the states of America had to look at this article before taking any big actions such as conducting business, addressing an issue to the state, foreign affairs, etc. However, it took a long time for the people of the United States of America to accept this article of confederation.
In the drafting of this constitution’s document, 13 people were appointed as a committee. The chairman of this committee was John Dickson, who later on presented all the related results. Later on, in early 1779, the article of confederation was ratified by Virginia and so the people of the country started believing and following the rules.
What is Bill of Rights?
The first 10 amendments made to the US Constitution are named as Bill of rights. In 1787, most of the American leaders observed the fact that the young nation was facing various challenges and those challenges demanded a more efficient and powerful federal government. Under the article of confederation, the government did not have absolute power. For example, it did not have any power over tax-raising, interstate commerce, neither over the proper examination of conflicts.
As a result, The United States Constitution came into being, which created a federal government having 3 separate branches i.e. Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches. These branches had absolute powers, which created chaos and fear among the individuals regarding their rights. The Bill of Rights then brought 10 amendments which gave the people some sense of security of their liberties from the federal government.
These 10 amendments included rights such as freedom of speech and religion, freedom from arrest without a warrant, right to a trial by a jury, assurance of the rights that people may have but not listed in the constitution, etc.
Main Differences Between Articles of Confederation and Bill of Rights
- The agreement that formed the first constitution of the United States of America is called the article of confederation whereas the first 10 amendments made to the US Constitution are named as Bill of rights.
- Article of Confederation was formed to preserve the state’s independence and sovereignty. In contrast, the Bill of Rights was formed to give the people some sense of security of their liberties from the federal government.
- Article of Confederation was formed approved in November 1777 whereas as Bill of rights was approved in 1787.
- The article told the government what it should do. in comparison, the bill told what it should not do.
- The people of America initially resisted the Article of Confederation whereas they were happy and satisfied with the Bill of Rights.
Conclusion
The first-ever constitution that served the United States of America was formed was named the Article of Confederation and perpetual approved. It was formed to preserve the independence and sovereignty of all the American states. It came into force on March 1. Initially the people of America faced problems with accepting and following this decision. But later in 1779 when the article of confederation was ratified by Virginia, people started to accept it.
The first 10 amendments made to the US Constitution are named as Bill of rights. The reason behind the formation of this bill was to make people feel comfortable and secure about their rights. After the formation of the constitution, the individuals of the country started to have fears and doubts regarding their rights. But this problem was solved by the Bill of Rights. These 10 amendments included rights such as freedom of speech and religion, the prohibition of cruel and unusual punishments, the right to possess arms, etc.
References
- https://www.jstor.org/stable/796690
- https://heinonline.org/hol-cgi-bin/get_pdf.cgi?handle=hein.journals/stflr2§ion=11