(upbeat music) - [Narrator] Why didn't the Articles of Confederation, the first draft of the Constitution, work?

This is what the articles got right.

It successfully established the 13 colonies as independent states, separate from England.

It worked as a rule book for politics and governance during the early revolutionary war efforts, and it protected state power, freedom of speech in Congress, and provided public education.

So what went wrong?

Money, trade, and law enforcement.

Out of a fear of British-like rule, the articles were built around a weak central government, which made it difficult to tax states or regulate commerce.

It didn't have the power to enforce treaties or help manage foreign relations with native tribes.

These issues led to the 1787 Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia.

The original plan was to revise the articles, but instead, an entirely new framework was built.

And that's how the US Constitution and our strong national government was born.