WEAKNESSES OF

THE ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION

A Hyperdoc Activity

“I am mortified beyond expression when I view the clouds that have spread over the brightest morn that ever dawned upon any country."

George Washington to Henry Lee,

 discussing the Articles of Confederation

Oct. 31, 1786

     While the states were setting up their governments, Americans also discussed the form of their national government. During the Revolutionary War, Americans realized that they needed to unite to win the war against Britain. As Silas Deane, a diplomat from Connecticut, wrote, “United we stand, divided we fall.”

In 1776, the Continental Congress began to develop a plan for a national government. Congress agreed that the government should be a republic. But the delegates disagreed about whether each state should have one vote or voting should be based on population. They also disagreed about whether the national government or the individual states should control the lands west of the Appalachians.

The Continental Congress eventually arrived at a final plan, called the Articles of Confederation. In the Articles, the national government had few powers, because many Americans were afraid that a strong government would lead to tyranny, or oppressive rule.

The national government was run by a Confederation Congress. Each state had only one vote in the Congress. The national government had the power to wage war, make peace, sign treaties, and issue money.  But the Articles left most important powers to the states. These powers included the authority to set

     taxes and enforce national laws.

Goal:  

1. To understand why the writers of the Articles of Confederation established a weak national government and the potential and realized problems it created.
2. Determine which weakness was the most damaging and justify your ideas.