To what extent were the Articles of Confederation an inadequate form of government?

The Articles of Confederation, were an inadequate form of government to an extreme extent.The Articles of Confederation's inadequacies are shown in that it was a confederation government, in that nature, it formed a weak central government and most power resided in the states, also, the AOC's inability to convey foreign affairs, such as the failure of the Treaty of Paris,and the AOC government had to request troops from the states,domestically, the government did not have authority to tax and did not establish a uniform currency.

The AOC was formed based on the colonies past with Great Britain. It was formed to not seem as a monarchy or that government was in complete control. With this the colonies had the upmost amount of power and that would only add as another inadequatecy of the AOC. The colonies were basically on a free for all and regulated themselves.The AOC was adopted by the Second Continental Congress on November 15, 1777. Then, all the colonists were concerned about was not returning their country to the way it was pre-Revolutionary War. An even amount of strong federal government and power within the hands of the people, to an extent, would have been the best form of government for the colonies at the time.

The AOC was unable to convey foreign affairs. After the war, relations with European powers quickly deteriorated, especially with the new nation's former nemisis, Great Britain. In some cases, the colonies brought issues upon themselves, like when they failed to abide by the Treaty of Paris. The U.S. promised to compensate loyalists for confiscated land and to pay foreign debts. Neither promises were met. The British also violated the Treaty of Paris. The British maintained forts in the Northwest Territory and since the states had to rely on troops from the states, all the United States could do is protest. The British also placed trade restrictions on an already weak U.S. economy. European nations reasoned that since the indivual states were themselves embroiled in trade disputes, commercial agreements with the United States would certainly be questionable.

Federalists, those whom favored a more central government, pointed out the weakness of the AOC not having authority to tax the colonies. The federal government had to request funds from the states. The main idea of the AOC was to not put an intense amount of power within the federal government.The federal government only collected money contributed from the states. Delivering taxes to the federal government was optional, with this, most colonies did not. This increased problems the United States had with the overall economy. The war's debt came down to individuals, which mostly included small farmers. This led to Shay’s Rebellion an influence on American government. Along with a weak overall economy, there was lack of a uniform currency. Since there was no uniform currency, everyone used a different type of money. Inflation rates and trade rates increased dramatically. Thus having a direct impact on business transactions within and between states.

In conclusion, this is how the Articles of Confederation made for and inadequate form of government. The AOC created a weak central government leaving power in the hands of the states, it was unable to regulate foreign affairs and did not have a chief executive or state department who could, and the AOC's inability to to tax the colonies, establish a uniform currency, or regulate trade. With this came a weak and inapt government upon the colonies.