IS187 703 Two Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation

Flora 2/10/14

The Articles of Confederation was the first constitution the American used after they were free from Britains rule. But, the Articles of Confederation wasnt the best constitution. One weakness of the Articles of Confederation is that the federal government was weaker than the state government. Although its supposedly that the federal government will have more power, the states had more power. Another weakness of the Articles of Confederation is that the economy was bad. Trade wasnt going well for the Americans and, the people had the right to say no to the federal government when asking for money. The Article of Confederation did not turn out the way the people expected it to be, therefore making it horrible. One of the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation was that the State government was more powerful than the Federal government. One way the states have more authority than the federal government is because the states have the right to say no. In the textbook (pg 154 : Articles of Confederation), it stated Congress could also ask the states for money and soldiers. However, states had the power to refuse these requests. The federal government was given the right to ask, but they have no right to command the states to give money and soldiers. Another reason is that the federal government couldnt tax the people, According to the Articles of Confederation, 1777, it stated Under the Articles, the states, not Congress, had the power to tax. The states having the right to tax instead of Congress just means that the state is controlling America more than

the federal government. The fact that the federal government is not the one that is controlling the people, shows that it is weak and has no power. Another weakness of the Articles of Confederation is that the economy wasnt the best causing a depression. Trade and inflation had caused the depression during the 1780s. Trading caused the depression because the British did not allow American ships into their ports. This affected trade. According to the textbook ( pg160 : Impact of Closed Markets), it says Farmers could no longer export their goods to the British West Indies. They also had to hire British ships to carry their good to British markets, which was very expensive. This resulted in British goods to be able to reach America and American goods unable to reach Britain. Inflation caused the depression because in the textbook (pg 160-161 : Inflation & Weak Economy), it states --some states began printing large amounts of paper money. The result was inflation. This money had little or no real value- and They (debtors) could pay back their debts with paper money worth less than the coins they had borrowed. this made little gain in money since the money is not as valuable than the gold and silver that the people previously used. The lack of profit from trade and inflation caused the economy to go downhill. At this time, America was in a really bad shape. The Articles of Confederation was poorly written and didnt turn out the way some people expected it to be. This caused many problems to arise. The state having more power than the Federal Government caused many problems. Also, the economy declined. One reason for this decline was trade because Britain made trade difficult for the Americans. Also, inflation made money that people are using worth less than theyre supposed to. At this point, the Articles of Confederation is truly bringing America nowhere near well-developed nation.

Citation
Deverell, William, and Deborah G. White. United States History: And New York History, Beginnings to 1877. Austin, TX: Holt McDougal, 2009. Print. The Gilder Lehraman Institute of American History. "The Articles of Confederation, 1777."The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2014.