Answer:
The first plan for the American government was called the Articles of Confederation. This set up a confederation as opposed to a real government connecting all the states. A confederation is defined "as an organization that consists of a number of parties or groups united in an alliance or league." so it was more of an alliance among the states rather than a government. The Articles left little to no federal government, so when things such as Shay's rebellion, a rebellion of armed farmers that wanted their land back from banks, arose each state had to fend for itself. This extremely weak central government is what led to the constitutional convention and the downfall of the Articles.