SS8H4: Constitution of 1777 and the Articles of Confederation

Georgia Constitution

     During the Revolutionary War, Georgia decided that they need some sort of government to function. What they came up with was the Georgia Constitution of 1777. The constitution was designed so that they could not have a strong governor. This was due to the Royal Governors that Georgia had in the past. Its main weaknesses were:

• Too little power to the governor
• The governor was chosen by the legislature
• Too much power to the legislature
• Unicameral Congress

     This proved to be an unbalanced separation of powers, and a new constitution was written in 1789.
     After the Revolutionary War, the 13 original colonies decided that they want a government with little power. The name was the Articles of  Confederation. Georgia did not send a delegate to the First Constitutional Convention. The Confederation proved to be a major failure because:

• Government could not produce a federal currency
• Government could not raise an army

  

  Cover page of Articles of Confederation

• Too much power to the states

     The Articles of Confederation were thrown out ten years later and a new constitution was proposed. This time, Georgia sent two delegates: Abraham Baldwin and William Few. Georgia was quick to ratify it due to the same reason they stayed with England: defense and trade. However, not all colonies wanted to sign it because it did not outline any rights of the citizens. To solve this problem, the Bill of Rights was created, the first ten amendments to the Constitution that showed our rights as citizens. The constitution was then passed, and is still in effect today.

First page of Articles of Confederation

     Knowing how to make a government function with a balance of powers is key to having a long-term stable country. People need to know that we weren't always the most democratic country in the land; that we had to experiment and learn from our mistakes. From the Articles of Confederation, we learn that we need some sort of federal government to protect us.