Explain two problems the U. S. government faced because of the Articles of Confederation. Then describe how the U. S. Constitution addressed these problems.

The national government could not tax the states without their consent, so they had no way to raise money to pay off the national debt or to do anything else they needed to do. They were also very weak when it can to enforcing laws which resulted in Shays' Rebellion. The constitution addressed these problems by allowing the Federal Government to tax the States in the Constitution, this allowed the Federal gov to raise money to pay off the national debt as well as having money to go to other national programs and actions. It also gave the Federal Gov. stronger by making it more centralized. More lawmaking power was put in the hands of the US Senate rather than the state governments. The Constitution also gave the President the power to use the US military to settle issues if necessary, an ability which has been exercised by multiple presidents throughout history, notably Andrew Jackson.

The major downfall of the Articles of Confederation was simply weakness. The federal government, under the Articles, was too weak to enforce their laws and therefore had no power. The Continental Congress had borrowed money to fight the Revolutionary War and could not repay their debts.