Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation Kathryn 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 ● ● ● of_confederation_fails.htm of_confederation_fails.htm ●