How was the Articles of Confederation constructed and why did this early form of government fail?

Answer 1

Once the Continental Congress decided on independence in 1776, it needed to create a legal basis for a permanent union of the states. John Dickinson of Pennsylvania, a reluctant supporter of independence, presented a draft plan for such a union as early as the summer of 1776. Dickinson favored a strong central government, but congress fundamentally altered his original plan to recognize the sovereign power of the individual states. According to the key provisions of the Articles of Confederation that the Congress finally submitted to the states more than a year later, in November 1777, "Each State retains its sovereignty, freedom and independence, and every power, jurisdiction and right, which is not by this confederation expressly delegated to the United States, in Congress assembled." the effect was to create a loose confederation of autonomous states. The powers the Articles of Confederation delegated to the central government were extremely limited, in effect little more than those already exercised by the Continental Congress. The Congress had authority primarily in the areas of foreign policy and national defense. It could declare war, make peace, conduct foreign affairs, negotiate with Native Americans, and settle disputes between the states. It had no authority, however, to raise troops or impose taxes, it could only ask the states to supply troops and money and hope that they would comply. The central principle behind the Articles was the fear of oppressive, centralized power encroaching on the freedoms for which the Revolution had been fought. Most states quickly ratified the Articles of Confederation, but Maryland stubbornly held out until March 1781. Because they needed the approval of all thirteen states, only then did the Articles officially take effect. More than any other domestic disturbance in the 1780s. Shays Rebellion dramatized the fragile nature and conflicting values of America's first republic under the Articles of Confederation. Americans favoring a stronger, more centralized government repeatedly cited Shays's Rebellion as an example of the impending chaos that would destroy the republic unless fundamental changes were made. Ultimately the Articles of confederation were pushed beyond their abilities to be affective and the American republic demanded a change that would come with the writing of the United States Constitution in 1787 and its ratification in 1788.