What the Continental Congress can do:
They could declare war, deal with foreign affairs, and basically were just given the power to make war with England or defend against England (again, Post-Revolutionary War thought). They could maintain an army and navy. They could also coin money, but not levy taxes.
How it works:
Each state had only one vote, and the A.O.C only had one branch of government. For a new law, tax, or decision to be made, nine out of 13 of the states had to vote on it. This lead to an ultimately ineffective way to get laws or taxes to pass. Articles could be amended, but only by unanimous vote.
What did the Articles of Confederation Accomplish?
They helped win the war and organize the territory of Ohio. They pushed out Native Americans through treaties. Northwest Ordinance of 1787 was the biggest accomplishment of the A.O.C, it created 5 states between the Ohio and Mississippi River. The Ordinance also outlawed slavery in these 5 states.
Downfall:
Since the A.O.C could not collect taxes, the war debt from the Revolutionary War went unpaid, and each state tried to levy taxes and tariffs on their own. The debt got so bad that farmers went into debt, which lead to Shay's Rebellion in Massachutes, where farmers rose up and closed the courts to stop them from foreclosing on their farmland. 6 delegates from the Continental Congress met up to discuss changes in the A.O.C, and in 1788, the Constitution that we know of today was ratified.
Bibliography:
https://www.history.com/topics/articles-of-confederation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bO7FQsCcbD8
Nice post Tanshi, it's interesting to see how the Articles of Confederation evolved into the Constitution. The Constitution essentially gave more power to federal government and lessened the independence of the individual states. The most significant of these changes were economic; the Constitution gave the federal government to levy taxes and regulate interstate commerce. Although there have been multiple amendments made to it since its creation, the Constitution still remains the blueprint for the United States of America.
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Thanks for posting this, Tanshi. It's especially relevant after the short answer we did in class. What's also important to note is that it denied Congress the right to enforce laws. Instead, the central government relied on states to enforce its laws (which they rarely did). This was fixed in the Constitution, as Congress is given expressed and implied powers (Article 1, Section 8). I found a document online that delineates the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, the resulting problem, and the Constitutional fix if you want to go more in depth.
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