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Test your knowledge at mysubscribersavings.com 250th America Reader Sweepstakes Win gift cards daily, weekly and monthly. Plus a grand prize getaway you’ll never forget! The First Constitution Was Not Enough The Articles of Confederation helped unite the states, but they also exposed the weaknesses of a loose union. The United States Constitution The Articles of Confederation were a wartime solution. Adopted by Congress in 1777 and put into effect in 1781, they created a “league of friendship” among the states. That phrase tells you a great deal. The Articles assumed that the states would remain primary and the central government would remain limited. That structure had advantages during the Revolution, when fear of concentrated power ran high. But after the war, its weaknesses became increasingly difficult to ignore. Congress could request money, but it could not tax directly. It could conduct diplomacy, but it could not regulate interstate commerce effectively. Each state had one vote, regardless of size, and amendments required unanimous approval, making reform painfully difficult. Economic strain and political instability sharpened the problem. Shays’ Rebellion in Massachusetts did not by itself cause the Constitutional Convention, but it dramatized what many national leaders already feared: the republic lacked sufficient mechanisms to preserve order, credit, and coordinated policy. The Articles deserve respect as the nation’s first constitution. But they also reveal a central lesson of the founding era: winning independence did not automatically solve the problem of government. The Americans still had to decide how much union they actually wanted. All entries will be entered into the Grand Prize giveaway. Test your knowledge at mysubscribersavings.com