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Articles Of Confederation Strengths And Weaknesses

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Articles Of Confederation Strengths And Weaknesses
The Articles of Confederation was the colonies first attempt at a national government. It was a weak form of a central government which had very limited abilities. Most of the power was left to the states which operated almost like independent republics. There were several downfalls of the Articles of Confederation, the most prominent of which was its lack of power to tax. During the 1780’s, the wealthiest and most groups recognized the problems with the Confederation and began working towards a solution.
Some believed the Articles of Confederation could simply be amended, however they soon realized drastic changes were needed. Those that lobbied for a stronger national government saw the effects of too much power left in the hands of the citizens during Shays Rebellion. And so continued the balance between liberty and order. They also recognized the need to strengthen its weakest point, the inability to tax. The end result was the Constitution which established three branches of government; the legislative, the executive, and the judiciary. This three branch system was a radical change but it provided a system of checks and balances. It did not come without great debate. There were …show more content…
It had been the main source of conflict between the colonies and Great Britain and it continued during the formation of the Constitution. Madison attempt to answer the question of how could both the national and state government be sovereign and where did ultimate sovereignty fall. He concluded it came from the bottom, the people, and flowed up. The Constitution distributed powers between the national and state governments. The federal government had the power to tax, regulate commerce, and pass laws that were necessary and proper. States no longer retained every power, however the Constitution recognized their separated existence and allowed them to pass their own laws. (American History,
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