Government under the Articles of confederation could not deal effectively with many issues that arose during the 1780’s. Despite it’s many weaknesses, the new government accomplished a great deal. The western lands became the prize and treasure of the new government. Since the Articles of Confederation could only request financial support form the states instead of demanding taxes, these western lands replaced taxes. The so called “public domain” or unsettled land were larger than all the established states put together. Therefore, by selling the land, the weak new government received money that it couldn’t find in any other way. Instea