The CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) employed about 30,000+ people, who helped build things like dams, roads, bridges, fences, signage, and campgrounds in South Carolina.
The Romans weathered a Germanic rising in the late fourth century, but in 410 the Visigoth Kong Alaric successfully sacked the city of Rome.
The major downfall of the Articles of Confederation was simply weakness. The federal government, under the Articles, was too weak to enforce their laws and therefore had no power. The Continental Congress had borrowed money to fight the Revolutionary War and could not repay their debts.