The revolutionary change that transpired with the writing of the Constitution of the United States birthed a world apart from the lack of backbone that the Articles of Confederation held. Although an unintentional effect, the conventions that were to fix the problems of the Articles of Confederation instead completely eradicated the ineffectual document. While the drafting of the Constitution was a labor of compromise, the spirit and principles of the Declaration of Independence are obviously at hand.
Within the workings of the Constitution a clear departure from the Articles of Confederation can be realized. The people had fought to end tyranny that bound them only to be constrained by an ineffectual, incapable government. With Shay’s Rebellion the deficit of power in federal hands became unmistakable. While the citizens and states cried for help the government was powerless to assist. The rebellion had a solidifying effect among the people and a voice for a stronger government was raised. The lack of federal control tied the hands of the government in the Articles of Confederation and was abolished with the creation of the Constitution as supreme law of the land.
Alexander Hamilton desperately felt the need for departure from the Articles. In Federalist 23, Hamilton commits to the idea of an independent energetic government that provides stability with the might to govern without restraint and for the benefit of the people. He ponders that “These powers ought to exist without limitation, because it is impossible to foresee or define the extent and variety of national exigencies, or the correspondent extent and variety of the means which may be necessary to satisfy them. The circumstances that endanger the safety of nations are infinite, and for this reason no constitutional shackles can wisely be imposed on the power to which the care of it is committed.” (Federalist 23, 4th paragraph)