The American colonies were in desperate need of an effective form of government after the revolutionary war. The Articles of Confederation, unfortunately, were not the answer because of their inability to establish a strong centralized government, enforce decisions made by Congress, and create a centralized military to protect the people.
             The Articles were adopted by the first continental congress in 1781 and created a loose form of government with independent states that mostly governed themselves. Many thought this was a good form of government for the newly formed states; however, it failed to unify them into one and create a centralized government. The path they chose was to allow each state to govern and defend itself. This only managed to create confusion in the states because each had its own laws and currency. The articles also failed to create a way for Congress to enforce decisions they made, as seen in document A. It required nine out of thirteen states to support a law before it was passed, and even after it was passed, it was up to the states to decide whether or not they chose to obey the law. The laws were simply considered recommendations that could be ignored if leaders felt like they were not important, as seen in document A. Congress also could not tax the states without their approval. Many of the men in the army did not receive their compensation because Congress could not tax states and so could not fund an army. They relied solely on donations for funds to raise an army, and many states did not choose to donate, as seen in document C. The newly formed country was left almost defenseless and vulnerable to attacks. The articles left the country without a government, defenseless and unable to enforce decisions.
             Some may argue that the Articles were just what this young country needed. They feared a centralized government because they had recently gotten free of a very traumatizing relationship with Britain,...