The Articles of Confederation, ratified by the Second Continental Congress in 1777, gave the central government very limited powers that in the end proved ineffective.
Under the Articles of Confederation, the central government could not collect taxes or raise an standing army. In a time when Britain was still a threat to the American independence, this was inconvenient.
This is the reason why the founding fathers decided to meet again and draft a new constitution that adopts a federal system with a central government that can collect taxes and keep an standing army. It is the current U.S. Constitution.
