Changes

Before the war ended won, the [[Continental Congress]] met to organize war efforts and address issues common to all the colonies.  It adopted the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and proposed the Articles of Confederation in 1777.   

Before the war ended won, the [[Continental Congress]] met to organize war efforts and address issues common to all the colonies.  It adopted the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and proposed the Articles of Confederation in 1777.   

The Articles of Confederation established America's earliest federal government.  The Articles were ratified by the 13 colonies in 1781.  Due to grave problems that arose, they lasted a very short time, and were replaced by the Consitution in 1789 after only eight years.

The Articles of Confederation established the [[United States]].  The Articles were ratified by all 13 colonies in 1781, and converted them from "colonies" into "states".  But due to flaws in the Articles of Confederation, they lasted a short time, and were replaced by the Constitution in 1789 after only eight years.

The Articles provided for a unicameral (one body) Congress to govern the states.  There was no president, but rather a committee formed of one representative from each state which wielded executive authority.  There were no federal courts.   

The Articles provided for a unicameral (one body) Congress to govern the states.  There was no president (imagine that!), but rather a committee formed of one representative from each state which wielded executive authority.  There were no federal (national) courts (imagine that also!).   

9 out of 13 states’ approval were needed to pass anything.  And unanimous approval was required to amend the Articles.  Those percentages were simply too high for a collection of states that were very different from each other.  Now that the focus was off gaining freedom and onto building a new nation, the states had much less common ground.   

Nine (9) out of the 13 states' approval were needed to pass anything.  And unanimous approval was required to amend the Articles.  Those percentages were simply too high for a collection of states that were very different from each other.  Now that the focus was off gaining freedom and onto building a new nation, the states had much less common ground.   

Under the Articles of Confederation, Congress was given the power to declare war, raise and army and navy, make commercial treaties, borrow money, control currency, and levy assessments against the states.  But Congress lacked the power to could not impose taxes on the people or enforce its will against states that refused to cooperate.  It could ask the states for money, but could not force them to pay.  Thus, Congress under the Articles of Confederation was destined to be very weak from the beginning.

Under the Articles of Confederation, Congress was given the power to declare war, raise and army and navy, make commercial treaties, borrow money, control currency, and levy assessments against the states.  But Congress lacked the power to impose taxes on the people or enforce its will against states that refused to cooperate.  It could ask the states for money, but could not force them to pay.  The power to raise an army is almost meaningless without the means to raise money to pay the army.  Thus, Congress under the Articles of Confederation was destined to be very weak from the beginning, and demands for a stronger form of national government began to grow.

==Problems with the Articles of Confederation==

==Problems with the Articles of Confederation==