Flaws of the Articles of Confederation Essay Example

From the end of the Revolutionary War through the after math of the war was a very unstable time. There were 13 colonies with different cultures, different wants, and different needs linked by one common enemy, to keep these 13 colonies joined together the Articles of Confederation were established but this would not last. From 1781 to 1789, the Articles of Confederation did not provide the United States with an effective government. The Articles of Confederation was such a week form of government that it would never have kept the 13 very different colonies together. The people during this time were very uneasy and scared as to what would happen next and they knew it was time for change. Change was very frightening and new for all people in the United States and no one knew what to expect, not even the men trying to reform the new government. As John Jay wrote to George Washington "…Our affairs seem to lead to some crisis, some revolution – something that I cannot foresee or conjecture."(Document G). It shows that a change was desperately needed but no one knew how to make a change large that would hold this new country together and stand the test of time. The Articles of Confederation also affected the young economy of the United States. During the time that the Articles of Confederation were still the main government of the United States the market value of United States exports to Great Britain were the lowest. In 1786, the middle of when the Articles of Confederation were still the prominent form of government the United States exports totaled 4,134 thousand, which was the lowest market value in a span of 22 years. The people of the United States knew it was time for a change but they also knew that the change would be tough on all of them. When a committee finally sat down to make the change a new and harder question arose, should the Articles of Confederation be erased and a whole new government be made or should the Articles of Confederation