After victory over the British, each state had its own Constitution and Bill of Rights, but there was no centralized government. The continental government had a number of responsibilities that were not rightfully granted to it. They had created the Continental Army, printed currency, managed commerce, and paid off the nation's debt. They felt that they needed to legitimize their actions and realized that it was necessary to have a centralized government (Schultz, p115). In this report, I will compare and contrast the Articles of Confederation with the new Constitution of 1787, analyze the writing of the Constitution and how the states made compromises to draft it effectively, compare and contrast the ratification debate between Federalists and Anti-Federalists, and assesses the success of the Bill of Rights in achieving a balance between national and state interests. The Articles of Confederation were written between 1776 and 1777 and were intended to define the collective sovereignty of the states. The following year, the Articles of Confederation were presented to the states for ratification, but only eight states had ratified the document by July 1778. This created a problem because all thirteen states had to ratify the Articles before they were put into effect. artwork. This did not occur until 1781. The Articles of Confederation set forth in the Constitution of 1787 had many weaknesses. Before the Constitution, the Articles had placed all power in the hands of a single legislature, which closely emulated the Continental Congress. There was no president, no monarch, no prime minister. There was a Committee of the States where one person from each state had a seat in government, but the powers were very limited... middle of paper ...... to help with the Constitution. Eventually, Federalists and Anti-Federalists settled their differences with the development of the Bill of Rights. Many people have worked hard to make this country what it is today. We must all thank them for giving us a great place to live, work and raise our families. Works Cited Roland, J. (November 10, 2011). Constitution of the United States of America. Retrieved from http://www.constitution.org/constit_.htm on January 28, 2012. Schultz, K. (2010). Hist. (pp. 115-118, 121-122, 125-126). Boston: Wadsworth Cengage LearningThree branches of government. (2007, June 18). Retrieved from http://courts.michigan.gov/lc-gallery/3-branches-govt.htm on January 28, 2012. Whitten, C. (2010). Index of Federalist Papers. Retrieved from http://www.foundingfathers.info/federalistpapers/fedindex.htm January 28, 2012.