The Articles of Confederation were the first constitution of the United States, and they were in effect from 1777 to 1789. There were several key features of the Articles of Confederation, but here are two of the most significant:
Weak central government: One of the most notable features of the Articles of Confederation was its weak central government. The national government established by the Articles had very little power, and most of the authority was retained by the individual states. The national government was unable to raise taxes, regulate commerce, or enforce laws, and it relied on the states to provide funding and support. This led to many problems, as the national government was unable to address issues such as inflation, trade disputes, and western land disputes.
Unicameral Congress: Another feature of the Articles of Confederation was the unicameral Congress, which was the only national institution of government. Each state had one vote in Congress, regardless of its size or population. This meant that small states had the same voting power as large states, which led to difficulty passing legislation and making decisions. This design was intended to protect the rights of small states and prevent domination by larger states, but it resulted in inefficiency and gridlock.
These two features of weak national government and unicameral Congress led to many issues that the founding fathers were not able to resolve during the revolutionary era, and it became clear that the articles need to be re-evaluated. The government under the Articles of Confederation was often ineffective, it was unable to solve many of the nation's problems and it was clear the country needed a stronger central government. This led to the drafting and the adoption of the U.S. Constitution, which replaced the Articles in 1789.