1. Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation Kathryn Carlson Pd. 3

2. 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

3. Weaknesses ● No power to tax ● No national military ● No independent judicial system ● No power to enforce laws ● … and many more

4. 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

5. 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

6. No Independent Judicial System ● No national system of courts ● States could overturn national actions ● Individuals could not file complaints against the national government

7. 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

8. Other Weaknesses ● Congress could not regulate trade ● No uniform system of currency

9. Bibliography ● http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/articles.html http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/articles.html ● http://www.history.com/topics/articles-of-confederation http://www.history.com/topics/articles-of-confederation ● http://americanhistory.about.com/od/governmentandpolitics/f/articles_ of_confederation_fails.htm http://americanhistory.about.com/od/governmentandpolitics/f/articles_ of_confederation_fails.htm ● http://www.ushistoryscene.com/uncategorized/articlesofconfederation/ http://www.ushistoryscene.com/uncategorized/articlesofconfederation/