Final answer:
The Articles of Confederation established a weak central government to ensure the sovereignty of the states, but its limitations became apparent with challenges such as Shays' Rebellion highlighting the need for a stronger central government, leading to the drafting of the U.S. Constitution.
Step-by-step explanation:
Under the Articles of Confederation, the central government was intentionally kept weak to preserve the sovereignty and liberty of the individual states.
Since the founders feared a powerful central authority similar to the British monarchy which they fought against during the American Revolution, they designed a system where the central government had very limited power.
For example, the Confederation Congress could not levy taxes or regulate commerce, which were powers reserved for the states.
The national government's inability to effectively address numerous challenges such as war debt, state-to-state disputes, and popular uprisings led to the recognition that changes were necessary.
The Articles succeeded in maintaining state sovereignty but failed in providing an effective national governance system.
Shays' Rebellion, among other issues, highlighted the weaknesses of the Confederation government, leading to the Constitutional Convention where the decision was made to replace the Articles with a new U.S. Constitution that established a stronger central government balanced with states' powers.