At the end of the Revolutionary War, there was a need for an effective form of government. Unfortunately, the Articles of Confederation were not the answer because of their inability to negotiate foreign policy, maintain and establish domestic policy, and enforce decisions. The Articles were adopted by the 1st Continental Congress in 1781, creating a loose confederation of independent states that gave limited powers to a central government, known as Congress. Because each state had such a different plan of rule and their own selfish desires, the establishment of a strong central government was impossible. The main problems with the Articles of Confederation were that they did not give Congress the power to enforce laws or unify the states, there was no monetary system to ensure that taxes would be paid or to protect commerce, both nationally and foreign trade, and the country lacked unity and strength because of the lack of leadership.
The Articles of Confederation arranged a national government that consisted of a single house of Congress, where each state had one vote. Congress had the power to set up a postal department, to estimate the costs of the government and request donations from the states, and to raise armed forces. Cong

The self interests of states and individuals were also a result from the Articles. An example of individual greed can be seen when John Jay tried to create a treaty with Great Britain that would have paid off the war debt but would not have helped merchants. John Jay had his own agenda and the benefit of his state was not of matter (Doc. D). Because of self interests of states and individuals, the unity of the nation disappeared. Each state attempted to cede land for its own from other states and made for the constant redrawing of national boundaries (Doc. E). Because of this, the most important power that Congress had was the right to obtain territory and control the development of the western territories. For the large territory lying between the Great Lakes and the Ohio River, congress passed an ordinance that set the rules for creating new states known as the Northwest Ordinance of 1787. The reason for the decline of unity was the lack of an effective national court system and a quality leader. Without a national court system, laws that kept the nation secure could not be made or enforced. Also, there was a lack of order created by the people looking anywhere for an effective leader. The problem was finally resolved after the Articles were ended with the addition of the presidency of George Washington, but until then, such revolts such as Shay’s Rebellion and Bacon’s Rebellion were evident.

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