Could the Articles of Confederation pass laws?
Asked by: Mr. Ezequiel Kutch | Last update: January 27, 2026Score: 4.8/5 (47 votes)
Yes, the Articles of Confederation allowed Congress to pass laws, but they were incredibly difficult to enact and almost impossible to enforce because they required a supermajority (9 of 13 states) for major legislation and relied on states to voluntarily comply, lacking an executive to enforce them or power to compel taxation. This structure, along with the requirement for unanimous consent to amend, made effective national lawmaking nearly impossible, leading to significant disputes and economic chaos.
Could the Articles of Confederation make laws?
Under the Articles of Confederation, Congress could pass resolutions and make requests, but the federal government lacked enforcement power, leaving the states to their own devices.
How are laws passed in the Articles of Confederation?
Under the Articles of Confederation, the central government's power was kept quite limited. The Confederation Congress could make decisions but lacked enforcement powers. Implementation of most decisions, including modifications to the Articles, required unanimous approval of all thirteen state legislatures.
How did the Articles of Confederation fail to enforce laws?
There was no national court system, so the federal government could not enforce its laws. The Articles could be amended only by unanimous vote of the states, making it difficult, if not impossible, to make changes.
Why is it difficult to pass laws under the Articles of Confederation?
The requirements for passing measures were quite high: nine of the thirteen states had to approve a measure for it to pass. Amending the Articles themselves was even harder: all thirteen had to vote in favor of a change.
The Articles of Confederation
What are three problems with the Articles of Confederation?
Three major problems with the Articles of Confederation were the weak central government, inability to tax or regulate commerce, and lack of an executive or judicial branch, leading to financial chaos, interstate disputes, and difficulty enforcing laws, famously highlighted by Shays's Rebellion.
How does passing a law differ between the Articles of Confederation and the US Constitution?
Ultimately, the largest difference between America's two governing documents is in that the Articles sovereignty resided in the states, and the Constitution was declared the law of the land when it was ratified which significantly increased the power of the federal government.
Why weren't laws enforceable under the articles?
Lack of an Executive Branch to Enforce Laws, Including Taxation. Under the Articles, there was no executive branch—no president or centralized authority to implement and enforce the laws passed by Congress. Congress could request taxes and compliance from states but had no power to enforce those requests.
What are the 5 main weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation?
The Articles of Confederation had five main weaknesses: a weak central government, no executive branch, no national court system, lack of power to regulate trade, and difficulty in amending the Articles. These limitations made it challenging for the federal government to effectively govern the new nation.
What was the US called before 1776?
Before 1776, the land that became the United States was known as British America, a collection of distinct colonies, often called the "United Colonies" (or "United Colonies of North America") by the colonists themselves, who identified more with their specific colony than a unified nation. The name "United States of America" first appeared in the Declaration of Independence in July 1776, officially adopted by the Second Continental Congress in September 1776.
How many votes did the Articles of Confederation need to pass a law?
The Articles created a Confederation Congress as the highest body in the state. Each state, no matter its size, had one vote in Congress. To pass any major legislation, a supermajority of nine out of 13 votes was required.
What are three things the Articles of Confederation did well?
Three key strengths of the Articles of Confederation were their success in managing western lands (Northwest Ordinance), conducting foreign policy (Treaty of Paris), and creating a unified national identity by providing the first framework for a republic, establishing essential departments, and keeping the states together during and after the Revolutionary War.
How were laws passed under the US Constitution?
Every Bill which shall have passed the House of Representatives and the Senate, shall, before it become a Law, be presented to the President of the United States; If he approve he shall sign it, but if not he shall return it, with his Objections to that House in which it shall have originated, who shall enter the ...
What were the weakness of the Articles of the Constitution?
The weaknesses of the Articles are summarized below: Weak Central Government: The central government under the Articles of Confederation was extremely weak and lacked the ability govern the nation. It lacked the power to enforce laws, collect taxes, or regulate trade. States acted much like independent countries.
What was the most important thing accomplished by the Articles of Confederation?
The most significant legislative achievement under the Articles was its passage of a series of land ordinances in the mid-1780s: the Land Ordinance of 1784, the Land Ordinance of 1785, and the Northwest Ordinance of 1787.
Who makes laws under the Articles of Confederation?
Article 13: Declared that the Articles of Confederation were forever and could only be changed by the Congress of Confederation and if all the states agreed. Article 1 – Creates the two parts of Congress. They are responsible for making laws.
Why did Articles of Confederation fail?
With the passage of time, weaknesses in the Articles of Confederation became apparent; Congress commanded little respect and no support from state governments anxious to maintain their power. Congress could not raise funds, regulate trade, or conduct foreign policy without the voluntary agreement of the states.
What powers did the Articles lack?
The Articles granted Congress the authority to negotiate treaties, declare war, and manage foreign relations. However, Congress lacked the power to enforce its decisions, raise revenue through taxes, or compel states to comply with treaties.
How did the Constitution fix the Articles of Confederation?
How did the constitution fix the weaknesses of the articles of confederation? The Constitution fixed the weaknesses by allowing the central government certain powers/rights. Below are some of the items the Articles did not address: Constitution became the supreme law of the United States.
Did the founding fathers put God in the Constitution?
No, the U.S. Constitution does not explicitly mention God or a supreme being in its main text, a deliberate choice by the Founding Fathers to establish a secular government and protect religious freedom, though it does contain a date reference ("Year of our Lord") and the First Amendment prevents religious tests for office, reflecting a consensus on separation of church and state despite their personal faith.
Is unconstitutional the same as illegal?
Does unconstitutional mean illegal? If something is unconstitutional, the law or action violates the Supreme Courts' interpretation of the Constitution. If something is illegal, it violates the law itself.
Can a state supersede a federal law?
The Supreme Court relied on the Supremacy Clause to hold that the federal law controlled and could not be nullified by state statutes or officials. In Edgar v. MITE Corp., 457 U.S. 624 (1982), the Supreme Court ruled: "A state statute is void to the extent that it actually conflicts with a valid Federal statute".
Why was it hard to pass a law under the Articles of Confederation?
Congress needed 9 of 13 states to pass any laws.
Requiring this high supermajority made it very difficult to pass any legislation that would affect all 13 states.
How many states had to approve laws under the Articles of Confederation?
Government under the Articles of Confederation could not enforce a treaty or a law when made nor impose any taxes for any purpose. Government under the Articles of Confederation was made even more difficult as any important decision had to be approved by 9 of the 13 states delaying some important and critical measures.
What makes the Constitution better than the Articles of Confederation?
The author concludes that the fundamental difference between the Articles and the Constitution is that the latter represented a compact among both the people and the states, whereas the former represented a compact among states alone.