[Mz]

As I said: I am not much of a student of political history. But my general understanding is that the very name "United States of America" came from the idea that these would be separate "states" -- nations -- that would band together for certain specific purposes, like defense, but would otherwise operate independently. The problem came in that the Federal government had insufficient power to raise money (or an army) to perform defense. More power had to be ceded to the Federal government in order to ensure that the entire thing didn't simply fall apart. As a young nation, newly separated from England by force, the US was quite vulnerable. Had the Federal government remained hamstrung in its ability to raise money and raise an army, this country likely wouldn't have survived for long.