1985 American History DBQ Articles of Confederation

            "From 1781 to 1789 the Articles of Confederation provided the United States with an effective government.".
             Shortly before the Declaration of Independence in 1776, Congress appointed a committee to sketch out a written constitution for the new nation. They came up with the Articles of Confederation which was adopted by Congress in 1777 but it wasn't accepted by all the states until 1781. This document made a loose confederation of the Thirteen States. Under the Articles the States would join together for dual action in dealing with problems, such as foreign affairs. Congress was the chief agency, there was no executive branch and the judicial branch was left basically entirely left to the states which were still sovereign. The Articles of Confederation basically provided the United States with an ineffective or weak government. .
             Congress was weak and purposely designed to be that way because the states that had just won control over taxation and commerce from Britain had not want to give up their new privileges. Each state had one vote. All bills required at least 2/3 vote and each amendment had to be unanimous (which was virtually impossible). Perhaps Congresses two greatest weaknesses were that it had no power to regulate commerce, which left the states with free reign to create conflicting laws on tariffs and navigation, and it could not enforce tax-collection. They set up a tax quota and made it optional to send in the money although they encouraged it. It did not receive the majority of it's requests. For example, in 1782 Rhode Island rejected the recommendation of Congress respecting an impost on imported goods. They stated this was unequal in regards to more commercial states such as Rhode Island and that the officers put in charge were unknown and unaccountable. They also stated that Congress would become independent of their constitutes (Document A). This shows how Congress could not enforce regulations on commerce or tax and that nothing could get passed if the states (which each had one vote) kept rejecting bills.