Question

After winning independence, Americans faced a question: How do you build a government strong enough to unite thirteen states—but weak enough to protect liberty?
1 ️ In your own words, what might Knox mean when he says “the source of the evil is the nature of the government”?
2️ List one strength and one weakness you think a “weak national government” might have.
3️ Predict: How might the experiences under the Articles of Confederation push Americans toward creating a new Constitution by 1787?
use simple words

Answer 1

1) I think Knox means the problem comes from how the government is built. If the rules, powers, or structure of the government are wrong, bad outcomes will follow no matter who runs it. In other words, the government’s design itself creates the trouble.

2) One strength of a weak national government:
- It protects people from a strong central ruler and helps keep freedom by giving more power to the states.

One weakness of a weak national government:
- It cannot raise enough money or force states to obey laws, so it struggles to pay debts, keep an army, or settle fights between states.

3) Prediction of how the Articles pushed Americans to write a new Constitution by 1787:
- Under the Articles the national government was too weak to collect taxes, so it could not pay war debts or soldiers.
- States argued with each other and made their own trade rules, hurting the economy.
- The government could not stop uprisings like Shays’ Rebellion, which scared many leaders and showed the need for order.
- Foreign countries disrespected or took advantage of a weak national government.
These problems made many Americans want a stronger, better-made national government, so they met in 1787 to write a new Constitution.