History of the U.S. Constitution - Articles of Confederation

28 S Linn St, Iowa City, IA 52240

Room 302

Register online or call 319-356-5220 Presenter: Thomas McDonald

This series presents the history of the US Constitution, from the preceding Articles of Confederation to the ratification of the 27th Amendment. Attend any or all sessions; please register for each session you would like to attend. Membership required. 

It is often forgotten, overlooked, or perhaps even unknown, that initially the government of the United States operated under Articles of Confederacy. It is of course speculation whether the Constitution would have become a reality without first experiencing government control, and lack of control, under the Articles of Confederation. It can however be stated that because the Articles of Confederation were only semi-successful as the governing instrument of the United States, the Constitution came into being. It must be remembered that the founding premise of the United States was new, it had never before been tried and there was very little guidance on which to base the design and governmental functionality of this new government. Perhaps without this 8 year experiment of operating under the Articles of Confederation, the Constitution would not be the document that has survived for 233 years.