how did the constitution differ from the articles of confederation? match the correct document to its features.

The Constitution and the Articles of Confederation set up very different systems of government, mainly in how much power the national government had and how it was organized.

Below is a “match the feature to the correct document” style guide (tables are in HTML as requested).

Core idea of each document

• Articles of Confederation: Loose “friendship” of independent states with a very weak national government.

• Constitution: Stronger national (federal) government with shared powers between states and central government, plus clear branches and checks and balances.

Match the feature to the document

Government structure

[8][1] [5][8][1] [3][5] [1][5] [3][5] [3][5] [5][1] [1][5]

Feature	Articles of Confederation	U.S. Constitution
Type of legislature	Unicameral (one-house Congress)	Bicameral (House of Representatives and Senate)
Branches of government	Only a Congress; no separate executive or national judiciary	Three branches: Congress, President, federal courts
Executive power	No national executive (no president)	President as single national executive
National court system	No national court system	Federal court system and Supreme Court

Power of the national government

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Feature	Articles of Confederation	U.S. Constitution
Power to tax individuals	No power to tax citizens directly; had to request money from states	Congress can levy taxes directly on people and businesses
Power over interstate and foreign trade	No power to regulate trade between states or with other countries effectively	Congress has explicit power to regulate interstate and foreign commerce
Power to enforce laws	Could pass laws but had no real way to enforce them on states or individuals	Laws are enforced through the executive branch and national courts
Military power	Could not maintain a strong national army; depended on state militias	Can raise and support a national army and navy

Representation and lawmaking

[8][1] [5][1] [1] [5] [3][1] [3][1]

Feature	Articles of Confederation	U.S. Constitution
Representation of states in Congress	Each state had one vote, regardless of population	House: based on population; Senate: two per state
Passing ordinary laws	Often required approval of 9 of 13 states, making it difficult to act	Simple majorities in each house (with presidential signature) for most laws
Amending the document	Required unanimous consent of all 13 states; almost impossible to change	Requires proposal and ratification by three-fourths of states; difficult but doable

Rights and “big picture” vision

[9][1] [9][1][5] [1] [2][1] [3][1] [3][1]

Feature	Articles of Confederation	U.S. Constitution
Main focus of the document	Protect state sovereignty; keep central government weak	Create a workable national framework that balances state and federal power
Individual rights	Focused mostly on state powers; no separate Bill of Rights	Later amended with the Bill of Rights to protect individual liberties
Adaptability over time	Rigid; unanimous approval needed for changes	More flexible amendment process; can adapt to new problems

Quick matching cheat sheet

Use this list if you just need to “match the feature to the correct document” quickly:

• “Loose alliance of states,” “weak central government,” “no president,” “no national courts,” “one vote per state,” “no power to tax,” “unanimous amendments” → Articles of Confederation.

• “Stronger federal government,” “three branches,” “president,” “federal courts,” “bicameral Congress,” “power to tax and regulate trade,” “easier amendment process,” “Bill of Rights” → U.S. Constitution.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.