Explain the major structural problems with the Articles of Confederation.

Answer: There was too much power given to the central government so the national government had too little power and the courts did and While the United States under the Articles was able to fight and win the Revolutionary War and sign the Treaty of Paris in 1783, the confederation's many inherent flaws soon became apparent. Congress could not raise taxes to pay off the debts the country incurred in the Revolutionary War. While Congress could ask the states for money "in proportion to the value of all land within each State," states often didn't pay what they owed. The national government had no judicial branch, as each state had its own. Effectively this meant that states could disregard national policies without consequence. States had their own currencies and forged their own import and export policies, which led to economic chaos and, ultimately, a depression.

From 1781 to 1787, the United States was governed by the Articles of Confederation. Under this system of government, the national legislature was granted very little power, with almost all sovereignty reserved for the individual states. The results were chaotic; there were breakdowns in commerce and security. In 1786, as the Articles' failure became increasingly clear, George Washington lamented, "What a triumph for the advocates of despotism to find that we are incapable of governing ourselves." These deficiencies led directly to the federal system encapsulated in the Constitution.