Evaluate The Effectiveness Of The Articles Of Confederation

797 Words4 Pages
Extent of Effectiveness of the Articles of Confederation The Articles of Confederation was first suggested at the second continental congress in 1776; it was formally ratified by the states in 1777. A written agreement uniting the thirteen states of America, served as a set of principles which the states have to abide by. It states that each state is in control of its own sovereignty, freedom, independence, and every power not specified to Congress. There could only be a legislative branch. Every state gets one vote. It did not give the central government to tax. The government could only raise money through state donations. The Articles of Confederation also claimed and divided land west of the Appalachian Mountains, north of the Ohio Rover…show more content…
Congress declared all American territories to be fully equal states. Every state had the same rights as the founding states. This reflected the effectiveness of the Article of Confederation when dealing with land distribution. Despite the success in the west, Americans were discontent with life under the Articles of Confederation. America was under a world of debt after the Revolutionary War. Under the Articles of Confederation, national government was not granted the right to tax and could only raise revenue from donations from state governments. Congress could not control foreign or domestic trade. This caused competition between the states over trade. Due to the lack of funding, the government could not afford to raise a national army. States were held responsible for paying back the national debt. This cause states to tax more on its citizens. Most of the populations consisted of farmers and merchants and because farmers did not make a lot of money, they could not afford to be taxed many times and in large amounts. Many farmers went into debt and never got out causing frustrations in their daily lives. All these factors during an economic
Open Document