The first time we tried that was with the Articles of Confederation, and it did not work.
Under the Articles of Confederation, there were no general federal courts or crimes.
During and after the war, the 13 states were united under a weak federal government established by the Articles of Confederation.
Under the Articles of Confederation, the central government's power was kept quite limited.
He later worked on the committee that formed the Articles of Confederation in 1777.
General conditions under the Articles of Confederation were pretty good.
By this time, the Articles of Confederation had been ratified.
This was less than the two-thirds majority required under the Articles of Confederation.
This is not to say that the government under the Articles of Confederation was perfect or even adequate.
The Articles of Confederation, all could see, were not strong enough to hold this new nation together.