On November 15, 1777, the Articles of Confederation were approved and adopted. Britain's Thirteen Colonies had officially become independent from the British crown, and now had to figure out a form of government that would work for them.
The Continental Congress had debated for 16 months on how to structure the government. On November 15, they officially came to an agreement and approved the articles.
Many of the leaders were afraid of a strong, centralized government due to the bad experience the colonies had with the British monarchy. They believed the states had the right to individually govern their own affairs. So, they set up a loose alliance of all the states. The articles of confederation created a single-house congress and gave each state one vote. A president with limited powers would also be elected.
The federal government did not have the right to levy taxes but it could wage war and regulate the national army.
Unfortunately, for many reasons, the articles of confederation failed to be a good, functioning form of government for the states. The federal government was unable to raise taxes on the colonies, which meant it had no money to pay off war debt and the salaries of the government workers. It was also unable to make a currency for all thirteen states which caused problems since currency changed from state to state.
The constitutional convention was created, and the U.S. constitution was in the making.
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