Even before the Revolutionary War ended, American leaders recognized the need for some form of national government.

The colonies could not fight Britain effectively as completely separate political entities. They needed a system capable of coordinating military operations, diplomacy, and relations between the states.

The result was the Articles of Confederation.

Drafted during the war and formally ratified in 1781, the Articles created the first national government of the United States.

The structure reflected the fears and experiences of the Revolution itself.

Americans had spent years resisting what they viewed as distant, overreaching authority under the British Crown and Parliament. As a result, many leaders feared creating a powerful central government that might threaten liberty in similar ways.

The Articles therefore established a deliberately weak national government.

Most political authority remained with the individual states.

Under the system, each state retained its “sovereignty, freedom, and independence.” The national government functioned more as a loose alliance of states than as a unified nation.

Congress became the central institution under the Articles.

But its powers were sharply limited.

Each state received one vote regardless of population or size. Congress could conduct foreign affairs, declare war, negotiate treaties, manage western territories, and request money from the states.

However, Congress lacked many powers considered essential for effective government.

Most importantly, it could not directly tax citizens.

Instead, Congress depended upon voluntary contributions from the states to raise money. States frequently ignored requests for funding, leaving the national government chronically short of revenue.

Congress also lacked authority to regulate interstate or international trade effectively.

States often imposed tariffs and trade restrictions against one another, creating economic disputes within the new nation itself.

The Articles provided no separate executive branch.

There was no president to enforce laws or direct national policy. Likewise, there was no national court system capable of resolving disputes consistently between states.

Changing the Articles proved extremely difficult as well.

Major amendments required unanimous approval from all thirteen states, making significant reform nearly impossible once disagreements emerged.

At first, many Americans supported the system.

The Articles reflected revolutionary distrust of concentrated power and emphasized local control, state independence, and limited central authority.

During the war, the arrangement had served important purposes.

Congress coordinated military operations, secured foreign alliances, negotiated loans, and oversaw the successful struggle for independence.

But once the war ended, the weaknesses of the system became increasingly obvious.

The national government struggled to pay debts, regulate trade, maintain military readiness, or respond effectively to economic and political crises.

Foreign governments questioned whether the United States possessed enough unity and stability to survive.

Even some Revolutionary leaders who had originally favored limited national authority began reconsidering the system.

The Articles of Confederation had helped Americans win independence.

But many increasingly feared they could not successfully govern the nation afterward.