Question

Explain two problems in the U.S. government faced because of the articles of confederation. Then describe how the U.S. constitution addressed these problems.

Answer 1

1. No taxation Powers: after the Revolutionary War, the United States had contracted very large debts with allied European powers, notably France. These debts were constantly accruing due to interests and individual, states refused to pay any portion of them. This provoked economic retaliatory measures from Allied powers and even though economic prosperity was improving, these policies prevented the American economy to develop. Furthermore, there was a rebellion known as the Shays” rebellion where farmers took arms to resist perceived economic injustices. Because there was no federal taxation, the central government had no resources to set up a federal army and Benjamin Lincoln, a former government official had to finance a private army out of his own money to suppress the rebellion.

2. No unified national judiciary: Each state had its court system but because there were no federal courts, disputes between states were frequent and unsettled. Tensions between states threatened national unity.

The Constitution, rapidly corrected these two issues by levying taxes for the operations of government and the funding of armed forces. It also allowed for the creation of a federal judiciary which helped organize jurisdictions and laws and to settle legal disputes between the different states.