Articles of Confederation On 7th June 1776, 12 states declared themselves independent foreign alliances free from any Union with Great Britain. This took place after Congress was asked to make the declaration by the delegates of Virginia. On 17 November 1777, congress came up with a form of government that could be accepted by all the separate states. The articles of confederation were made and distributed to all the member states for ratification and it was until July 9th, 1778 that they became operative after being approved by the required number of states (US Supreme Center). Weaknesses of the articles Before ratification, these articles had shown many weaknesses that had led to several states threatening to withdraw from the union. Among the weaknesses was the issue of taxes. The articles had not bestowed upon congress the power to levy taxes. This forced Congress to apply to the states to give it the power to secure public debts and to lay duties. Though most of the States agreed, Rhode Island rejected the proposed amendment. Making it not applicable as all the states had to consent to an amendment for it to go through US Supreme Center). In their original forms, the articles did offer each state liberum veto in which each state had the power to refuse any proposed amendment on the articles. This posed a big problem to the ratifications as all member states had to ratify an amendment for it to be passed. In addition, this made it difficult for passing important legislative decisions it needed 9 states to pass an important legislative decision. With many members being absent, it took only two states to floor an important legislative decision (Spalding). Another weakness was evident in foreign affairs. Although Congress had been given the power to engage with foreign powers issues about treaties, the states had to ratify the treaty to make it applicable. Not only did the states have to approve, but also congress did not have the power to take appropriate measures to any state that failed to adhere to the stipulations of the treaty thus making other nations find necessary the formation of the united states. Congress failed to command any obedience from the member states (Spalding). There were sections of the articles that were termed as unimportant exceptions. Although they had been put in this section, some of them were of importance. This included the issue of trade. Congress had no power over a state’s decision to engage in trade with another member of the United States or a foreign nation US Supreme Center). Formation of the constitution At some point, there arose a dispute between Virginia and Maryland concerning the jurisdiction of rivers Potomac and Pocomoke. There was no part in the articles that could have provided for the remedy of this situation. Virginia and Maryland formed commissions each to take the matter into a discussion. They invited Washington. After discussing the matter, they decided to organize a convention that would need all the states to discuss the issue of trade and commerce. They wanted to harmonize the trade activities for a common good. The convention was slated for Annapolis. Most of the states did not participate. The few that came up with a decision to organiz