When the Continental Congress approved the Articles of Confederation as the country's first system of government, it did not create an executive branch to administer national laws because at that time the Framers feared that

They feared that a central government would become tyrannical

The Articles of Confederation did not create a strong central government. As a result, the federal government could not negotiate foreign treaties without agreement from the states, and contained no provision for federal courts. The national government under the Articles of Confederation was simply too weak as it also lacked taxation powers