1. Feature Why Included Possible Problems A No Chief Executive B C D
Lack of Leadership from central gov’t. No single leader for the gov’t B
Laws needed approval by 9 of 13 states
Wanted to protect individual states’ power. Fear of strong central gov’t C
Congress didn’t have power to tax citizens. It could only request $$ from states
State often chose not to pay taxes, and the federal gov’t didn’t have the $$ to operate effectively D
Congress didn’t have the power to draft an army. It could only request states to send men for military services
Fear of a central gov’t with a strong army that might take away citizens’ rights
Didn’t want another powerful executive like King George III.
Difficult to get 9 states to agree to new laws. Central gov’t unable to do very much
Fear of being unfairly taxed by the central gov’t., as they had been under British rule
Left the country vulnerable without a dependable military force

2. No national court system
Feature
Why Included
Possible Problems E
No national court system
Fear of a central gov’t with a court system that might be unfair to the rights of states F
Any changes needed approval by all 13 states
Nearly impossible to make changes to Articles. Any one state could stop an amendment that all other states wanted G
Congress did not have the power to collect state debts owed to the federal gov’t
Fear of strong central gov’t that could force states to pay for things they didn’t want H
Congress didn’t have the power to settle disputes among states
Disputes among states often could not be resolved. Created disunity among the states
Disputes between states
Often could not be
Settled fairly
Wanted to make sure
States had a strong
Say in the shaping of
Gov’t
Federal gov’t often didn’t
Have the funds to operate
effectively
Wanted states to have
The ultimate authority
In resolving disputes

3. Under the Articles of Confederation there was a WEAK national government and the STATES held all the power.