The Articles of Confederation and its Effect on the Government

The states initially enacted the Articles of Confederation in order to prevent the government from becoming too centralized in their power. Although Congress possessed ample control over the guidance of the country, Congress possessed no power to collect taxes or enforce its laws. In their quest to prevent the government from possessing too much power, a weak central government was created which in turn further depleted the declining economy and conducted poor foreign relations.
Disputes concerning the development of the government arose at this time and brought about a period of economic deflation. New Englanders were in favor of allowing Congress to possess the ability to instill a navigation law in order to possess more control over trade. However, Southerners refused to give up their advantage the obtained from “pitting” American shipping against foreign trade. States in turn created their own closed economic systems. These regulations did more harm...