PLEASE HELP ME Articles of Confederation …

The first attempt at a government of the new country was not as successful as many had hoped. Soldiers were unhappy about not being paid for their service during the revolution, states had bitter disputes with each other, and foreign countries were still a threat. The United States was barely united.

Basic Info about the states:
Large states = 8 Slave states = 5
Small states = 5 Free states = 8
Virginia alone had more people than all 5 small states combined.
Virginia, Penn., N .Carolina, and Mass. had more people than all other states combined.
Slaves made up approximately 35% of the total population in slave states.

Below are ten basic problems with the Articles of Confederation. Your group must come up with a plan to fix these problems. Your solutions must work for ALL STATES.

1 The country is only represented by a legislature. There is no prominent leader of the country, but rather dozens of leaders. The legislature cannot make quick decisions when necessary.

2 Conflicts between states and conflicts between residents of different states are handled in the courts within one of the states. States make and enforce their own laws. States and citizens are not always held accountable for their actions.

3 States are able to make trade agreements and treaties with each other and with foreign countries. This could be a problem if two states have agreements with different foreign countries and those countries go to war.

4 Every state, and the national government, prints their own currency and each has a different value. Some states don’t accept the currency from other states. The value of the currency is not always stable.

5 The new national government can raise money only when the states give it money. There is no way to force the states to pay their share. As a result the national government never has enough money.

6 The national government has no control over trade between the states. Trade wars, tariffs, and armed conflict are possible.

7 All 13 states must agree in order to change the Articles of Confederation. It is very difficult to get all of the states to agree on anything. Any one state could decide not to cooperate and prevent any change.

8 National laws, that affect every state, must be approved by 9 of the 13 states. Few laws are able to be passed.

9 Slaves are considered people in some states and property in others. Slave states want to count the slaves toward their total population, while free states don’t think that is fair.

10 Each state in the union, (large and small area, a large population or a small population, rich or poor) had the same representation in the legislature. Large states feel like they deserve more representation since they have more people.