Articles vs. Constitution The Articles of Confederation and the Constitution both are similar to one another, but have some differences. I have recently just been asked to cast my vote for either the Articles of Confederation or the Constitution of 1787. Being a New York merchant and a trader that is engaged in trade, I have to come to a decision on which form of government would best suit my needs. Looking at both the Articles and the Constitution, I have decided to cast my vote for the Constitution because interstate and foreign trade could be controlled by Congress, Congress could coin money and fix weights and measures, and Congress had ample amount of power to impose and collect taxes. The Constitution allows Congress to have the power to manage foreign and state commerce, which puts restrictions on the states’ power to regulate their own trade. This would benefit my trading and definitely would make it easier to trade. Federal rights were also granted to navigable waters which are waters that supply a route for trade and the transportation of goods and people. The central government can determine who can use these waters and how they will be used. In the Articles of Confederation, Congress did not have the authority to create a uniform trade policy. They could not control interstate trade which caused individual states to practice what they wanted. States would put other states in jeopardy, so they could gain an economical advantage. They would impose tariffs and other actions on each other. Britain also felt betrayed by the Americans and conflict arose between them. Britain would not abolish the Navigation Laws and Lord Sheffield claimed that Britain could gain back America’s trade in a persuasively written pamphlet. The trade routes to the West Indies were also closed to the United States although a few Yankees illegitimately participated. This would definitely impact my trade because many ships are sent to Europe and then to the West Indies from New York with many goods ready to be sold. With the restrictions of Great Britain, Americans were getting frustrated and wanted to limit British imports to get back at them, but unfortunately Congress could not manage commerce and there was no tariff policy set up. In the Articles of Confederation, states would print their own money so states had different currencies which would affect my trade. If a state has a different currency than me, it would be more difficult for me to trade with