November Blog

1. What were the Articles of Confederation?

The articles of confederation created a central government with limited power.

2. What were the key features of the articles?

• No Chief Executive.
• Laws needed approval by nine of the thirteen states.
• Congress did not have the power to tax citizens. It could only request tax money from states.
• Congress did not have the power to draft an army. It could only request states to send men for military services.
• No national court system.
• Any amendments to the Articles must be approved by all thirteen states.
• Congress did not have the power to collect state debts owed to the federal government.
• Congress did not have the power to settle disputes among states.

3. Why do you think the continental congress shaped the articles of confederation the way they did?

The continental congress shaped the articles of confederation the way they did because they feared that if they gave themselves too much power, the states would rebel. Because the Unites States had had bad experiences with a government that had too much power, they were extra wary against a controlling government. To prevent this, the Continental Congress gave themselves limited power. For example, laws needed to be approved by nine of the thirteen states so each state had power and there was no strong central government. Also, the congress could not draft and collect taxes because they feared it might get out of control like it had with England.

4. What were the major problems created by the articles of confederation?

There were quite a few problems created by the articles of confederation. Because there was no Chief Executive, there was a lack of leadership from the central government because there was no single leader. Because laws needed approval by nine of the thirteen states, it was difficult for states to come to an agreement. The federal government didn't have the funds to operate effectively because states were not required to pay taxes. Also, congress did not have power to collect state debts. Congress also might have a weak army because they did not have the power to draft an army. Because the Congress had no national court system, sometimes justice would not be served. Last, disputes among states often were not resolved since Congress did not the power to settle these disputes.

5.Which features do you think caused the most problems, and why?

The feature in the Articles that caused the most problems was that Congress was not able to tax, draft, or collect state debts. Although this was smart to ensure that the government did not become too powerful and tyrannical, the government would not be able operate functionally without funding and support. The feature of the Articles that also caused the most problems was that congress could not settle disputes among states. This caused problems because if two states were fighting, congress could not do anything to resolve conflicts.

6. What changes do you think need to be made to improve the government?

 The congress should be able to tax citizens, draft citizens during war, and be able to collect state debts so they would have more funding and support. Also, a Chief Executive would stabilise the government. Although a Chief Executive had the risk of becoming tyrannical, it would be worth it to have one central leader. In order to ensure the Chief Executive did not get too much power, restrictions could be placed so the Chief Executive did not have total control.