American states declared independence in order to have their own government, but they weren't about to let that government turn into a roadblock against personal liberty. Influential thinkers of the time like Thomas Jefferson believed that too much power concentrated in a single place would always turn despotic. "One hundred seventy three despots would surely be as oppressive as one," Jefferson believed. (Source)
That's why the Articles of Confederation took such care in spreading power out. Even though the national government only had one branch (the legislative), reserving almost all powers for the states ensured that no one group, however broad, was really "in charge."
Questions About Power
- The Articles of Confederation left all unlisted responsibilities to the states. What were the pros and cons of giving such broad powers to the states?
- The Articles of Confederation Congress had legislative, judicial, executive, and military authority. Name and explain three reasons it still remained relatively weak.
- In today's United States, are some states more powerful than others? Why or why not? Compare and contrast the relative powers of today's states with the states during the Articles of Confederation.
- Is the legislative branch of the Constitution more or less powerful than the Confederation Congress under the Articles?
Chew on This
The Confederation Congress retained a lot of power in theory—from making war to raising taxes—but was not able to exercise its authority in practice.
The states under the Articles acted like independent countries in a league, similar to the modern European Union.