The articles gave the government no separation of powers. The government was too weak, the Articles left much of the power to the states (if I remember correctly, states basically went by their own state constitution). Congress didn't have the power to tax. To change the Articles, it had to be decided unanimously by all states. Also, 9 out of the 13 states had to approve any major law before it was passed and Congress couldn't regulate commerce. There was no president to lead, no established court system, and every state had only one vote in congress.
Basically, the articles created no separate executive department to carry out and enforce the acts of Congress and no national court system to interpret the meaning of laws.
This is known as the Anaconda Plan.
This military strategy, developed by Union General Winfield Scott, was meant to starve the Confederacy out of their resources. Essentially, Scott felt that if the Confederacy could not trade for goods with other countries they would not be able to survive. This is due to the Confederacy's reliance on cotton as their main cash crop.
This strategy helps to explain why the US wanted to blockade trade with other countries as well as why the Union wanted to control the Mississippi River, as they knew control of this waterway could negatively impact the Confederacy's ability to transport/obtain resources.
B. The civil rights legislation
The Virginia House of Burgesses was the first legislative assembly of elected representatives in North America.
