The Articles of Confederation was the United States' first constitution. It was very weak and gave little to no power to the federal government.
Under the Articles of Confederation, the government could not tax the states, regulate trade, create and enforce laws properly, draft soldiers, change the Articles without the approval of the states, and other important matters. This meant that most of the power was in the hands of the states and the citizens.
The Anti-Federalists were in favor of the Articles of Confederation, as they usually associated the government having power with British tyranny. They wanted to keep the power in their hands. Federalists wanted to change the Articles of Confederation and wanted to have a strong government. They thought having a strong government meant having a strong country.
Eventually, the Constitutional Convention of 1787 was called in order to fix the Articles of Confederation. Many people were starting to realize how weak it was and how it was harming the country. While the original goal was just to amend the Articles, they ended up getting scrapped altogether and the United States Constitution was created instead.
The United States Constitution fixed the<u> major problem of having a weak government</u>. With the new constitution, the government now had power. They could create and enforce laws, but the government was separated into branches in order to keep the balance of power in check. They could now tax the states, so they could pay war debts and better the country. They could also regulate trade, draft soldiers, and do other things that are much needed by the government.
Although many people were worried about the government obtaining power, the Bill of Rights was created in order to protect the rights and powers of the citizens.
