The Articles of Confederation were the first written form of government of the United States, after the American Revolution. Under the Articles, states held most of the power and the central government was weak because people feared that a strong central government could transform into tyranny, <em>it only had a unicameral legislature</em> instead of the divisions of power into three branches that the Constitution states.
The Articles of Confederation gave the Continental Congress the power to pass laws, but since there was no Executive branch, the central government didn't had the power to enforce them, there was no national court system, so the government couldn't intervene disputes between states, the lack of a national military was also a great weakness. The central government had no power to collect taxes or to regulate trade, so there was no one in charge of paying the national debt or watching the economy. Unanimous consent was needed for ratification, and it was difficult to amend or pass laws.
They were to adopt the Fourteenth and Fifteenth amendments and select United States senators in preparation for readmission to the Union. On March 30, 1870, President Grant signed the act that readmitted Texas to the Union and ended Congressional Reconstruction.
