Issues:
Levying Taxes
Federal Courts
Regulation of trade
Executive
Amending document
Representation of
states
Raising an army
Interstate commerce
Disputes between
states
Sovereignty
Passing laws
Articles of
Confederation
Why weakness?
Constitution of the
United States
Basics/Issues:
Articles of Confederation
Levying Taxes
Congress could REQUEST states to pay taxes
Federal Courts
No system of federal courts
 no means by which to enforce US laws
 each state could interpret federal laws as it
pleased and chose when—or even if—to
administer them
 States relied on own courts rulings and ignored
others
Regulation of trade
 Congress endowed with the sole authority to
negotiate foreign treaties
 Did not have the power to control trade
between individual states and foreign countries
Executive (President)
No executive with power. President of U.S. merely
presided over Congress
Issues:
Articles of Confederation
Amending document (ratifying)
13/13 needed to amend
Articles
Representation of states
Each State received 1 vote and
(# of Representatives)
each State provide at least two
delegates, regardless of the
amount of land, population
size, or wealth of that state
Raising an army
Congress could not draft troops,
dependent on states to contribute
forces
 Some states had created their own
armies, others their own navies.
Issues:
Interstate commerce
Articles of Confederation
-No provision to regulate trade
-Each state had a tariff on the
other states
- Def: A tariff is a tax on goods
coming in from another state or
country
Disputes between States
-Congress had the power to settle
border and interstate disputes
Had to select a panel of judges
to hear the case
Issues:
Sovereignty
Passing laws
Articles of Confederation
Sovereignty resides in states
supported its own cause at the
expense of the common good.
 unwillingness of States to focus
on their role as part of a bigger
nation
9/13 needed to approve legislation
When the Congress could agree to enact
legislation, there was no judicial system
to enforce the laws.
Issues:
Levying Taxes
Federal Courts
Regulation of trade
Executive (President)
Articles of Confederation
*What did the document say about the issues?
(Don’t skimp on answers)
Issues:
Amending document
(ratifying)
Representation of states
(# of Representatives)
Raising an army
Articles of Confederation
Issues:
Interstate commerce
Disputes between
States – how settled?
Articles of Confederation
Issues:
Sovereignty rested
more where?
Passing laws
Articles of Confederation
Why aren’t we still under the
Articles of Confederation?
What happened between 1777 (ratified 1781)
and 1788 that would cause our Founding
Fathers to start over again?
Case
Studies
Each Case Study
• What is the problem(s)/issue(s)? Highlight
• What caused it?
or
Underline
• Why couldn’t the National Government
(under Articles of Confederation) help solve
the problem(s)/issue(s)?
– List ALL