The Articles of Confederation lacked the power to tax. They could not raise money at the federal level to pay off national debts. After the American Revolution, each state sought to only pay what it regarded as its fair share; this led to chaos for the nation. The Constitution gave Congress the power to tax in Article I, thus alleviating this problem. It also gave Congress the power to regulate interstate commerce and to create a currency. This brought the states together in that they had to cooperate economically. Article I also gave the Senate the power to ratify treaties—now diplomacy was at the federal level instead of the state level.

The Articles of Confederation also only had a legislative body, whereas the Constitution has three branches of government. The Constitution provides for a bicameral legislature with the lower house's representation being based on a state's population. In the upper house, each state gets two senators. This solved the problem of creating a system fair to both large and small states. The most important part of the Constitution is that it includes the Bill of Rights, which spells out the rights of Americans. While these rights are often subject to interpretation, they were necessary to get the Constitution passed, as there were still many in America who feared the central government that the Constitution would provide.

The Articles of Confederation had several weaknesses. As a result, a new plan of government, the Constitution, was written to clear up the weaknesses. Under the Articles of Confederation, there were many things the federal government couldn’t do. It couldn’t tax, make trade treaties, resolve disputes between states, keep order, or pay its debts. To help solve these issues, the writers of the Constitution created a federal government with three branches. Each branch had distinct powers to carry out its responsibilities.

For example, the legislative branch, made up of the Senate and House of Representatives, had the power to make laws. This included the power to tax, to print money, and to control trade. The judicial branch, or the court system, had the power to settle disputes, including those between the states.

Additionally, the government had the ability to create an army. This army could be used to keep order at home as well as fight wars with other countries if needed. The Articles of Confederation can’t be criticized for being a weak government because it was set up to be a weak government.

However, the Constitution was much better, in part because the writers of the Constitution learned from the past mistakes that were made. They also included an amendment process to correct future problems that might arise. The Constitution was written, in part, to correct the mistakes and resolve the issues that existed in the Articles of Confederation.

How did the Constitution strengthen the federal government compared to the Articles of Confederation?

The Constitution made a number of significant changes in the structure of the Federal government, all aimed at making the United States a single political entity rather than a "confederation" of separate states. The Constitution made it possible, for example, for the Federal government to collect taxes directly; under the Articles, taxes could only be collected by the states. The Federal government became directly responsible for the military, whereas under the Articles the Federal government had to request troops from each state. The Constitution also created the Federal judiciary, including the Supreme Court, which made the Federal government the final arbiter in disputes between states. Perhaps most important, the Constitution created the presidency, a Federal executive who was given the power to make decisions on behalf of all the states -- a single person who could be identified as the "leader" of the nation. 

There were many problems with the Articles of Confederation.  The national government did not have the power to levy taxes on the people.  Instead, it had to ask the states for money and hope that they complied.  The government did not have an executive branch led by a chief executive who could actually lead the country.  It did not have the power to maintain a standing military.  The states had a great deal of power over the national government and could veto its actions.  The states were practically independent and, therefore, were able to do things like engaging in trade wars with one another. All of these weaknesses were fixed by the Constitution.

The Constitution gave the federal government the power to “lay and collect taxes.”  It created a separate executive branch of the government that would be headed by a single president with relatively important powers.  It had the power to “raise and support” an army and to “provide and maintain” a navy.  The states no longer had the power to veto actions by the federal government.   The Congress had the power to regulate trade between the states, thus making the states less like independent countries and less able to engage in trade wars with one another.  In these ways, the Constitution strengthened the federal government in areas where the Articles of Confederation had left it weak.