After the American Revolution, the former colonies were very cautious about giving too much power to a central government, fearing that it could become oppressive like the British government had been.
As a result, the Articles of Confederation gave most of the power to the state governments, reserving only those few powers that were absolutely necessary for the central government to have, such as the power to declare war and make treaties.
Here are some additional reasons why the authors of the Articles of Confederation created a weak central government:
* _They were influenced by the republican political philosophy of the time, which emphasized the importance of individual liberty and local control._
* _They were also concerned about the potential for corruption and abuse of power in a strong central government._
* _They wanted to ensure that the states would remain independent and able to resist any attempts by the central government to infringe on their rights._
The weakness of the central government proved to be a major problem during the years after the Revolution, as the country faced challenges such as economic instability, foreign threats, and internal dissension.
These weaknesses were ultimately one of the factors that led to the Constitutional Convention and the writing of the U.S. Constitution, which created a stronger central government that was better able to meet the needs of the new nation.