Articles Of Confederation Dbq

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During the Revolutionary war, the leaders of the American colonists thought it necessary to devise a government that would replace the previous British ruling. Their goal was to establish a strong form of government that would give power to the people, representing the same concept that they were fighting for. This would ultimately lead to the creation of the Articles of Confederation. Yet, despite the Founding Fathers' attempt to create a successful national government, The Articles of Confederation were considered a failure, not only because it neglected to give Congress the power to tax, but also for not establishing a strong central government, as well as creating a problem when dealing with foreign affairs. Primarily, it was evident that the founding fathers had been wary when pertaining to the topic of taxation within the states. …show more content…

The government had no representative that would deal with foreign countries. They had no voice in regulating trade, whether it is among the states or with foreign countries. The government was diplomatically disabled, more so when having to deal with Britain after they evidently began to ignore the Treaty of Paris in 1783. With no taxes being placed on foreign goods, higher priced American goods were being negatively affected due to Britain’s cheaper ones. “The United States in Congress assembled, shall have the sole and exclusive right and power …entering into treaties and alliances, provided that no treaty of commerce shall be made whereby the legislative power of the respective States shall be restrained from imposing such imposts and duties on foreigners…or from prohibiting the exportation or importation of any species of goods or commodities whatsoever…” (Article IX). Not only that, but each state had different policies dealing with foreign trade, making it even more difficult for the central government to have an organized trading