The American Colonist's fear for a center of power such as King George III decided that The Articles of Confederation would have strong state governments and a weak federal government. The Articles allowed the U.S. to win the Revolutionary War and established the Land Ordinance of 1785. This policy explained the process in which new land would be sold, organizing towns using a grid system. The Articles allowed territories to achieve statehood with a population of at least 60,000. Slavery was banned in territories north of the Ohio River, which gave equal rights to all.
However, the weak federal government could not tax citizens (this contributed to Shay's Rebellion). They barely had enough authority to raise an army or create a law, let alone enforce them.
The U.S. Constitution uses a strong state government and an even stronger federal government. This form of government balances out the power to three separate branches in a system called Checks and Balances. It guarantees items stated in the Bill of Rights, which apply to all. The Constitution also guarantees the rights to all U.S. citizens specified in the Preamble (I've inserted a link below in case you need it). Being a representative democracy, the U.S. Constitution makes sure that all perspectives and states will be represented in court. Still, the COnstitution still struggles for full equality to this day. The original file written by Jefferson did not include equal rights for Native Americans, African Americans or women (feared secession from Southern states). If there is any corruption in at least one of the branches, the other two may not be strong enough to balance it out.
