Final answer:
The Articles of Confederation intentionally made the national government weak due to the states' fear of a powerful central authority. Under this system, states were sovereign and powerful, leaving the central government without sufficient power to handle major challenges. These weaknesses ultimately led to the drafting of the Constitution to establish a balanced federal-state power structure.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Articles of Confederation made the national government weak due to the intentional design by the Founding Fathers. This was a result of the states' fear of a powerful central authority similar to the oppression they had experienced under British rule. Under the Articles of Confederation, the national government was weak while the states were sovereign and powerful.
After the Revolutionary War, Americans wanted a government where the people, not a monarch, held power. To prevent replacing one oppressive government with another, the framers of the Articles of Confederation created an alliance of sovereign states held together by a weak central government. Under this confederation, authority was decentralized, and the central government’s actions depended on the consent of the states. This arrangement made it difficult for the national government to effectively handle challenges, including economic disputes and popular uprisings.
However, the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation eventually led to their downfall. Incidents such as Shays' Rebellion underscored the need for a stronger central authority. In response, the Constitution was drafted, creating a more balanced distribution of power between federal and state governments, a structure known today as federalism.
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