Articles of Confederation
Advantages and Weaknesses
The Articles -- Advantages
- The Articles of Confederation created a legislature to create and amend laws for the states.
- The federal government could raise an control a unified army for the states.
- The federal government could handle foreign affairs on behalf of the states.
The Articles -- Weakness
- There was no Executive or Judicial branches in the government.
- The federal government could not enforce the laws it created, and the states often just ignored them if they didn't like them.
- The government could not impose taxes on the states.
- The government required the approval of 9 states to pass a law, and the approval of all 13 states to amend one.
- The nation's economy suffered as the states began to heavily tax one another, hurting trade.
Why did they make such a weak government?
The states had just fought the Revolutionary War to escape an oppressive, all-powerful government, and they wanted to make sure they didn't develop the same thing by giving the government too much power.