Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation were written during the American Revolution. Ben Franklin wrote the first draft, but
it was not approved because the colonists thought it gave too much power to a central government. After a great
deal of discussion and correcting, the articles were ratified (approved by vote) in 1781. The Articles were a
compromise. The ratified Articles stated that the new nation would be ruled by a congress (national
government). Each state had one vote.
According to the Articles, Congress (national government) could:
● Conduct foreign affairs
● Make treaties
● Declare war
● Maintain an army and a navy (not create)
● Print money
● Establish post offices
According to the Articles, Congress COULD NOT:
● Could not elect a president of the central government. Thus there was no separation of power at the
Federal (national) level. There was a Congress, and 13 states. Anything Congress did had to be approved
by 9 of the 13 states.
● Could not enforce laws. Congress could pass laws, but Congress could not force the states to obey those
laws, even when delegates from 9 of the 13 states agreed.
● Could not tax the states or the people. Congress could ask the states for money, but Congress could not
force the states to give them money. And Congress could not raise money by collecting taxes. Taxation
belonged to the states, and each state could make their own taxation laws. Without taxation, it was
nearly impossible to run a government.
Main Strength: Northwest Ordinance
The Ordinance of 1787 determined the government of the Northwest Territory and planned for the admission
(addition) of the territory into the United States. Under this ordinance Congress appointed a governor and judges
to lead each district. Once a district reached a population of 5,000 adult free males, it became a territory and
could form its own representative legislature. An individual territory could be admitted to statehood in the union
after having attained a population of 60,000.
The Ordinance of 1787 also granted several rights to the individuals living in the Northwest Territory. For
example, it outlawed slavery, guaranteed freedom of religion and other civil liberties, and provided for
public education. The American Indians living in the territory were promised decent treatment.
Results:
The Articles of Confederation worked well for the newly formed country during the period of the American
Revolution, but it had many flaws. Some of the flaws included:
● No power to raise money through taxes
● No way to enforce the laws passed by Congress
● No national court system
● No national leader
● Each state only had one vote in Congress despite the size of the state
