What were the problems with the articles of confederation and how did the failures of the articles of confederation help with the creation of the constitution?

Answer 1

Articles/ConstitutionDrafted during the years 1776 and 1777, while the colonists were still fighting for independence, the Articles of Confederation created a weak national government with most of the governmental powers retained by the states. The Articles provided no separation of branches. There was no president or any other independent executive, nor was there a federal judicial branch. Congress, the legislature, was the only branch of government. Members elected to congress did not vote as individuals, but as states. While congress did have some powers, it could not enforce its laws on the states or the people. States were permitted to coin their own money. There was no regulation of commerce between the states and states could even enter into treaties with foreign nations and declare war, with the consent of Congress. Congress could not tax the states or the people, it could only request funds to run the government.

Answer 2

There were many weaknesses under the Articles of Confederation. Congress had trouble passing laws due to the fact that 9 of the 13 states had to agree before any laws could be passed. Since there was no president or an executive branch, there was no way to make sure that laws passed by Congress were carried out. There were no courts to interpret laws or to judge those that broke them because a national court system did not exist. To make matters worse, changing the Articles of Confederation was nearly impossible. A unanimous vote of all 13 states were required before any changes could be made.

There were some other problems associated with the Articles of Confederation. Congress did not have the power to collect the taxes needed to pay for the expenses of the national government. Congress could ask for money, yet it had no power to force the states into paying them. Without money, Congress could not pay the nation's debt nor could it provide government programs and services.

Under the Articles, the national government could not control trade between the states or with foreign nations. Each state regulated its own trade, which resulted in many disputes among the states and with other nations as well. In addition, most states issued their own money. Without a uniform national currency, trading was a difficult process.

Each state acted like a small, separate nation. The people of each state saw themselves as citizens of their states as opposed to citizens of an entire nation. The people felt this way due to the great distances between states and the primitive transportation conditions during that era. In other words, the nation was an "un-united" group of states. Most of the times the states refused to obey the laws of Congress. As time passed relations between the states and the Congress worsened.

Although the Articles of Confederation helped establish our new nation, it had failed in numerous ways. The main problem was that the states refused to give the national government enough power to work correctly. The national government was unable to solve all of the problems mentioned in the previous paragraphs. As a result, in 1787 Congress asked the states to send representatives to a meeting in Philadelphia to discuss what could be done to improve the national government.