Following the Declaration of Independence and the birth of the United States of America, one of the most important task facing the new nation was setting up a constitution, a set of laws to govern the 13 states. After much debate and discussion, the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, came into effect in March 1781.
The Articles of Confederation was very weak and lacked the necessary powers needed to run the new country effectively. The government set up was made up of only one branch of Congress. The Articles of Confederation didn't have a true national government, and gave the states more power. Another weakness of the Articles was it didn't provide a President to run the country. Without a president, there was no one to enforce the laws and maintain peace. .
In addition, there was a weakness in the judiciary branch. There was no establishment of court systems. There was no way for disputes, conflicts between states, and other cases to be resolved. Another problem was Congress did not have the power to impose and collect taxes. Congress had no money to run the country and had to beg the states for money. Also, Articles could not regulate trade among the states. States then set up their own regulations, taxed each other, and provided for their own militia. The government's main priority was to control foreign policy and create treaties. .
Also, the country was facing a financial problem because they were in a large amount of debt due to the Revolutionary War. The last problem of the Articles of Confederation was representation in government. Each state, regardless of its population, had only one vote in Congress. The larger states with larger populations said this was unfair.
In conclusion, the Articles of Confederation was very weak. It didn't establish a presidency or a court system which are essential for governing a country. Most of the powers were controlled by the states and the national government had little or no power.
