The Articles of Confederation Period 1780-1788
a loose collection of 13 sovereign or (individually powerful) states
Weakness
Where did this Idea
come from?
1. No chief executive
(No king or President
leading the new nation)
There was a lack of
leadership for the new
nation. No one to make
tough decisions or
represent USA to other
nations.
2. no power to raise
money or tax citizens;
national government
could only request
money from the states
3. no power to draft an
army; the national
government could only
request that states send
soldiers for defense
Continental army
dissolved after the war.
Memory of a large army
of british soldiers in the
colonies was too
painful!
4. new laws for nation
need approval of 9 of
the 13 states
5. No common currency;
states printed their own
money.
Problems that
occurred…
Before the
Revolutionary war, the
13 colonies used british
pounds, shillings, and
pence in silver. The new
nation did not have
silver.