Question

American leaders sought to draft the constitution as a new plan of government. Why had the previous failed?

Answer 1

Because the Articles of Confederation held a weak central government

Answer 2

The American leaders sought to draft a new constitution because the Articles of Confederation was extremely ineffective. The Articles of Confederation, America's first constitution, was ineffective because:

1) The federal government did not have the ability to tax citizens.- This meant that the federal government would struggle to gain any type of revenue to pay off debts.

2) The federal government could not force states to follow federal laws.- This essentially allowed state governments to do whatever they wanted.

3) The federal government could not put down rebellions- This was evident from Shay's Rebellion in Massachusetts.