s of Confederation (Kelly 278).
There was no provision in the Articles for a truly sovereign national government, and instead the government consisted of a single-house congress with each state having one vote (Collier and Collier 305). Legislation could be passed by approval of a minimum of seven states. To wage war and pass certain other measures, the requirement was nine votes. All thirteen had to agree to any amendment of the Articles themselves. The Continental Congress was empowered to wage war, make treaties and alliances, decide disputes between the member states, negotiate loans, coin money, regulate weights and measures, manage Indian affairs, and operate a post office, among other functions. The Continental Congress did not have the power to levy taxes (Collier and Collier 365-373).
When it came time to write a Constitution, the problems either created by or unsolvable by the Articles of Confederation were apparent and led to battles in Philadelphia over how to write the new document so as to
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