Fear of a strong government, or power to the states was preferred. \

WEAKNESSES OF THE ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION

The Articles of Confederation were ineffective in large part because they failed to provide the national government with enough power to govern effectively.  Major weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation included:

•      The national and state governments printed money.
•     There was no President to enforce laws.
•     There were no national courts to interpret national laws, only state courts.
•     Congress had no power to regulate foreign and domestic trade.
•     The federal government could not tax.  It had to ask the states for money.  http://www.usdebtclock.org/
•    New laws needed the approval of 70% of the states (9 out of 13 states.)
•   Each state had one vote in Congress.  The small states had equal power with the large states.
•   Amending the Articles required a unanimous vote of all states.

ACHIEVEMENTS UNDER THE ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION

THE U.S. BECOMES A DEMOCRACY:  The most important achievement of the Articles was the creation of a democratic government and establishing the groundwork for the Constitution.  However weak, the United States, under the Articles of Confederation, remained a sovereign nation and began to develop both economically and politically.

NORTHWEST ORDINANCE OF 1787:  An important achievement since it outlawed slavery in the Northwest Territory and guaranteed individual rights to those living in territories of the United States.

THE CRITICAL PERIOD

FOREIGN PROBLEMS:  The United States under the Articles could not deal effectively with several foreign crisis.  England refused to remove troops from several key forts in the Northwest Territory of the U.S. and would not allow the United States to trade in the British West Indies.  Spain would not allow the United States to trade in the British West Indies.  Spain would not allow the United States to use the mouth of the Mississippi River since it controlled the port of New Orleans.  This caused severe problems for farmers in the Midwest who relied on the Mississippi River for trade.  Also, pirating by the Barbary States of North Africa severely limited United States trade routes abroad.

NATIONAL DEPRESSION:  A serious depression following the Revolutionary War caused problems throughout the United States.  Since states controlled trade, many states placed tariffs on goods coming into their states to protect their own economies.  This not only hurt the nationally economy, but adversely affected national unity as well.

SHAY’S REBELLION:  In 1786 an armed rebellion led by Daniel Shay occurred in the state of Massachusetts over high taxes.  The federal government could not act since Congress could not establish an army unless the states provided the troops.  The rebellion was finally put down by the Massachusetts militia but the incident proved how ineffective the Articles were in maintaining order.

 Confederation to Constitution