Study Aid: The Articles of Confederation

Deficiencies of the Articles of Confederation

  • No separate executive branch to carry out the laws of Congress
  • No national judiciary to handle offenses against the central government’s laws or to settle disputes between states
  • Congress did not have the power to levy taxes
  • Congress could not regulate interstate and foreign commerce
  • The states as well as Congress had the power to coin money, no national currency
  • Congress could not support an army or navy and was dependent on state militias
  • Nine states had to approve every law
  • Amendment of the Articles required unanimous consent of all states and Congress
  • Central government alone can declare war, but war is funded through state legislatures
  • Only one vote in Congress per state; one representative alone speaks for the entire state