Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation Kathryn Carlson Pd. 3.

Weaknesses of the Articles of

ConfederationKathryn Carlson

Pd. 3

Background● First written Constitution of the

United States● Adopted by the Continental

Congress on November 15th, 1777

● Ratified by the thirteen states did not occur until March 1st, 1781

● Created a loose confederation of states and a weak central government

Weaknesses● No power to tax● No national military● No independent judicial system● No power to enforce laws● … and many more

No Power to Tax

● Congress had to request funds from states

● Congress struggled to pay off foreign debts

● Revenue stream was unpredictable so a national budget was impossible to establish

No National Military

● No power to draft an army

● National government had to rely on state militia

● Could not respond to internal and external threats efficiently

No Independent Judicial System

● No national system of courts

● States could overturn national actions

● Individuals could not file complaints against the national government

No Power to Enforce Laws

● No executive branch● Congress had power

to pass laws, but not to enforce them

● States could ignore laws without fear of retribution

Other Weaknesses● Congress could not regulate trade● No uniform system of currency

Bibliography● http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/articles.html● http://www.history.com/topics/articles-of-confederation● http://americanhistory.about.com/od/governmentandpolitics/f/art

icles_of_confederation_fails.htm● http://www.ushistoryscene.com/uncategorized/articlesofconfeder

ation/