Transcript The Articles of Confederation

The Articles
of Confederation
What went wrong?
What Went Wrong?
Lots of things were wrong with The Articles
of Confederation. Most of them had to do
with the lack of power at the national level.
The states were afraid of a strong central
government, like Great Britain's. Because of
this the states became very disunited. This
presentation discusses some of the main
reasons The Articles failed.
No Chief Executive
The states didn’t want a
president because it was
too much like a king.
They believed that no
one person should have
too much power.
No Chief Executive
Why was this a problem?
This was a problem
because lack of leadership
from a central
government weakened
the country. It was clear
that the United States
needed a single leader.
Laws needed approval by nine of the
thirteen states.
They wanted to protect individual states’ power.
They feared that a strong central government
would make unfair laws and show favoritism. If the
Law wasn’t supported by nine of more states it
would be dismissed.
Laws needed approval by nine of the
thirteen states.
Why was this a problem?
It was very hard to get new laws passed. Every
state had different values and beliefs concerning
their people. Very rarely were laws passed or
changed.
Congress Couldn’t Tax
Congress didn’t have
the power to tax. It
could only request tax
money from states, and
often that request was
denied. The states
didn’t want the central
government to over tax
them like Great Britain
did.
Congress Couldn’t Tax
Why was this a problem?
Because Congress
couldn’t tax they the
government was very
poor. It lacked the
federal government
funds to operate
effectively. This made
for a very weak central
government.
Budget
Army
Roads
Schools
Well Fare
Law
enforcment
Other
Congress Couldn’t Draft an Army
Congress did not have the power to draft an army. It could
only request states to send men for military services. The
states feared that a central government with a strong army
might take away citizens’ rights.
Station
troops along
the coast.
What is he
talking
about?
Congress Couldn’t Draft an Army
Why was this a problem?
Without an army or navy the United States found it
difficult to fend off invading countries or Native
Americans.
This task would
be easier to
complete with
an army.
No National Court System
The Articles stated that there would be no
national court system. It was left up to each state
to solve it’s own disputes. They feared a central
government with a court system might be unfair
to the rights of states.
No National Court System
Why was this a problem?
Each state had it’s own court system and when states
fought head-to-head there was no set court system to
settle the dispute.
According to
the laws of
Virginia, you
are wrong.
Well, New
Hampshire says
YOU are wrong.
All Thirteen States Had to Approve Any
Amendments
All Amendments (changes) to the Articles had to be approved
by ALL of the thirteen states. They wanted to make sure that
every state had a strong say in the government.
All Thirteen States Had to Approve Any
Amendments
Why was this a problem?
Because ALL states had to agree on any changes, there rarely
were any. It was nearly impossible to make changes to the
Articles. Any one state could stop an amendment that all the
other states wanted.
Congress Couldn’t Collect State Debts
Congress wasn’t given
the power to collect
state debts owed to the
federal government.
The states feared a
strong central
government could force
states to pay for things
they didn’t want.
Congress Couldn’t Collect State Debts
Why was this a problem?
Because Congress
wasn’t given the power
to collect state debts
the country as a whole
was in debt. The
government cant
operate effectively
without any money.
Congress Couldn’t Settle Disputes
Among the States.
Just say out of
it! This is our
fight not
yours!
Congress had no say when it came to arguments between
states. The states didn’t want one group to have too much
power like Great Britain's Parliament.
Congress Couldn’t Settle Disputes
Among the States.
Why was this a problem?
With out a neutral referee the disputes were often
unsettled and couldn’t be resolved. This created a
great disunity among the states
What Went Wrong?
As you can see, lots of things were wrong with
The Articles of Confederation. This
constitution only lasted six years. It was
obvious that a new constitution was needed,
and stronger central government as well.