Question

Why did thd Second Continental Congress establish a weak central government under the Articles of Confederation?

Answer 1

When the Second Continental Congress came around, most of the American population and public figures feared that concentrating too much power on a centralized, national government, would threaten a fall into monarchy.

People's loyalty still lied with each separate state over the nation as a whole. The Articles of Confederation looked to establish a balance between maintaining state sovereignity and finding a way to work together.

The lack of power granted to the Continental Congress, eventually showed that there was no way of enforcing law without the presence of a strong Federal government. When legislation wasn't convenient to a specific state, they would just ignore it. Another weakness was the inability to amend the Articles of the Confederation, as it would require unanious support from all states which was practically impossible given the ruptured shape of the nation at the time.

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