Tutor profile: Rachel A.

What were the major weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation? Give an example of how the Constitution fixed this problem.

The Articles of Confederation were created with an understanding that the United States did not want a strong national government. Having just gained their freedom from Great Britain, they wanted their people to feel like they were reaping the benefits of their new freedom. The Articles gave limited power to a central government, allowing the states to hold most of the power. This proved to be its greatest weakness. There was no uniformity or union between the states. The national government could not regulate trade and commerce, could not levy taxes, and could not pass federal law on its own. The "United States of America" was beginning to look like multiple different countries co-existing around one another. The Constitution fixed this problem by directly outlining the powers held by the federal and state governments.

What is the main environmental issue found in the Middle East? What problems does this cause?

Unequal water distribution and water access has caused many problems in the Middle East over time. With a limited amount of fresh water in the regions, multiple countries are forced to share the same source of water. The creation of dams has caused tensions to rise between these competing countries. When a country upstream creates a dam to secure their access to water, they limit the amount of water available to the country downstream.

Why was it important for the United States to pass the 14th and 15th Amendment? Why was the 13th Amendment not enough?

The 13th Amendment was added to the Constitution in order to ban slavery from the country for the rest of time. But, because of the issues still occurring in the South (sharecropping, tenant farming, KKK, etc.), Congress felt that it was necessary to guarantee citizenship and voting rights to the newly freed slaves. Because of the 14th and 15th Amendments, the South was legally unable to deny basic rights and freedoms.