With the turning point of the American Revolution in the favor of the Americans being the Battle of Saratoga in 1777 and the eventual surrender of British General Cornwallis to George Washington in 1781, the Americans finally gained the freedom they desired from the British. From the time the Articles of Confederation were ratified by all 13 colonies in 1781 until 1789 when the Constitution was ratified by nine states, the Articles of Confederation provided the United States with an effective government.
The Articles provided an effective government politically, economically, and diplomatically. This experimentation with new government was as such: new in every sense of the word. New things are not always perfect just as new computer programs may have glitches but as with new computer programs, the Articles could have been developed and improved to a stronger government. Americans left no room for improvement and development for the Articles of Confederation, which contributed to its demise. Americans were afraid of trying something new and with the Constitution, conformed back to a government extremely reminiscent of the British government.
The political effectiveness of the Articles of Confederation is apparent in that it was written in the spirit of independence from the British government and was therefore written as a contrasting government as opposed to the government of the British. The Articles defined the union of the states as a confederacy, a loose organization of independent states. This insured that their new government would not incorporate the politics of the preceding British government. “The said States hereby severally enter into a firm league of friendship with each other, for their common defense, the security of their liberties, and their mutual and general welfare, binding themselves to assist each other, against all force offered to, or attacks made upon them, or any of them, on account of religion, sovereignty, trade, or any other...