Andrew Marich
Dr. Hosmer/Mika
AP US History
10 August 2014
Articles of Confederation – Essay From 1777 to 1789, the Articles of Confederation provided the United States with an ineffective government – though it was essential to the creation of the Constitution – that simply did not resolve the economic issues being faced post-Revolution. Two challenges the nations faced under the Articles were the inability of Congress to levy taxes as well as the lack of power to regulate commerce. These two challenges eventually impeded economic growth and did little to resolve the economic issues the United States faced. The inability to levy taxes prevented the government from raising revenue, but, while not optimal, was needed. Simply put, Americans were currently unwilling and unable to pay taxes – the majority were poor, especially after the war, and had not yet been compensated for their war efforts. They had also been previously taxed the the money-hungry British which increased tensions and ultimately resulted in rebellion. The inability of Congress to levy taxes wasn't optimal, but was something that had to be put off until American citizens realized taxes were necessary in promoting the economic well-being of America. Another challenge nations faced, that was an additional economic impediment, was Congress' lack of power to regulate commerce. This is somewhat an extension of their inability to levy taxes, as they could not impose trade restrictions, tariffs, taxes, etc. The Americans were already skeptical of the power of the government, and also needed time to ease into the fact that the government needed more power to promote the economy. Eventually, a trust had to be built up to allow the government to consolidate more power and therefore have more impact on the American economy. The economy was certainly a weak point during the times of the Articles, but the Constitution would fix this issue later on. Amidst the challenges of the Articles lie success in some areas. One of these major successes was the fact that the Articles provided an outline for the yet-to-be-created Constitution. It'd become imminent after awhile that the Articles needed a revision – the Articles simply were a test, an experiment to help identify whether or not a central government would improve the well-being of the United States. This deemed to be true, but it could still be bettered, and while the people eventually decided that the Articles needed a revision, they also therefore supported an increase in power of the central government. This was the ultimate goal of the Articles – to ease the Americans