Why did articles of confederation give the Largest share of power to the individual states?

Answer 1

To understand why the Articles of Confederation gave so much power to the individual states and so little to a unified federal government (in fact so little it was barely functional) think back to what was going on at the time and why the Articles were drafted in the first place. The colonies were rebelling against a central power (the King of England), so they were naturally afraid of creating another system where power was centralized and where their rights could again be jeopardized. By keeping most power at the individual state level, there was less concern that another "King" would be created. Also it is worthy to note that even this long before the Civil War there were regional tensions and concerns that an individual state would face unfair taxes or be forced to give up certain domestic institutions (one of the big ones being slavery) because of the desire of the majority of other states. There are also those that believe that the best form of government is a decentralized government. Not only is this a belief one espoused by the Articles of Confederation but also in the Bill of Rights. The tenth amendment states: The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people. This amendment basically states that any powers not given to the federal government by the Constitution are given to the states instead. This amendment was and still is a major centerpiece in arguments that states and local governments should have the greatest share of power.