Creating a Weak National Government

The Articles of Confederation were America first national plan of government, approved in 1781. They created a very weak central government because Americans feared giving too much power to a central authority after their experience under the British king. The states kept most of their power and independence.

Americans had just fought a revolution against a powerful, distant government that they felt had abused its authority. They were determined not to create another tyrannical government. They wanted the individual states to remain largely self-governing, so they deliberately limited what the national government could do.

Under the Articles, the national government could not tax the states directly or force them to pay money into the national treasury. It also could not force states to obey national laws. This made it nearly impossible to raise money for defense or enforce agreements, including the peace treaty with Britain.

The Articles described the states as being in a firm league of friendship, meaning they were allied but each state remained essentially self-governing. Each state acted like an independent country that had agreed to cooperate on certain matters while keeping its own sovereignty.

The national government under the Articles could negotiate foreign treaties, manage relations with Native American nations, operate a post office, and handle territorial disputes between states. It passed the important Northwest Ordinance in 1787. But without taxing power or enforcement authority, even these functions were difficult to perform.

The Articles created a government too weak to function effectively. It could not pay war debts, regulate trade between states, or maintain a strong defense. Shays Rebellion in 1786 highlighted these failures, convincing leaders to meet at the Constitutional Convention in 1787 to design a stronger national government.