Articles of Confederation
Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths of the Articles
- Set up a legislature where each state had one vote
- Allowed for the government to create a unified army for the states
- Gave government the ability to deal with foreign countries on behalf of the states
Weakenesses of the Articles
- National government couldn't enforce laws. So even if laws were ratified, states could ignore them
- National government couldn't tax
- Needed 9 out of 13 states approval to pass a law
- No executive or judicial branch
- Caused the states to suffer economically, especially when each state started taxing each other and hurting trade
Weak Government
The creators of the Articles of Confederation created the document to improve the national government. The purpose was to distribute power more evenly throughout the legislative, judicial, and executive branches, and place checks and balances on the system to limit the power. Instead of achieving these goals, the Articles ended up hurting the states and created an even weaker central government.
There were many flaws in the Articles, but the most prominent one was the fact that the national government could not enforce laws that were passed. The states just ended up ignoring the laws, creating many problems. The national government was not able to tax as well, which hurt trade and the economy.
In conclusion, the Articles of Confederation ended up hurting the states and were very flawed. The flaws allowed for a weak central government.
There were many flaws in the Articles, but the most prominent one was the fact that the national government could not enforce laws that were passed. The states just ended up ignoring the laws, creating many problems. The national government was not able to tax as well, which hurt trade and the economy.
In conclusion, the Articles of Confederation ended up hurting the states and were very flawed. The flaws allowed for a weak central government.