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After several years of bitter conflict, American colonists triumphed in the Revolutionary War, defeating one of the greatest superpowers of the day – Great Britain. Although this victory brought freedom to the previously British colonies, many political, economic, and foreign relations struggles awaited the young nation. The thirteen newly-independent colonies were widely diverse entities. These independent colonies recognized that a coalition of states would better meet future challenges than an unbound group of separate governments (Greene 16). The first unifying governmental document of the new nation was the Articles of Confederation. The Articles were created during the Revolutionary War in 1777 by the Continental Congress, but were …show more content…
not actually ratified by all of the states until March 1, 1781 (Farrand 138). The Articles of Confederation contained several provisions to help guide the inexperienced country. The many limitations of the Articles’ power resulted in a very weak national government, which caused the developing United States many problems. Three important areas the Articles of Confederation did not effectively address included the expansion and management of western lands, the structure of a new unified national economy, and relations with foreign nations. Unfortunately, the ultimate outcome of the Articles of Confederation on these three critical aspects did not provide an effective framework for governance as needed for the young developing nation. The Articles of Confederation did ultimately succeed in establishing a policy to add western lands to the nation (Rakove 47). Although these western land policies were not directly mentioned in the Articles, two documents, the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 and the Land Ordinance of 1785, were established during the time the Articles of Confederation were in effect. The addition of new western lands to the nation was an opportunity for prosperity due to the land’s commercial value and natural resources. The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 framed rules for the addition of new states into the union. The new states that joined the union would be equal to the original states of the nation, which went against convention during this time of colonial empires. The Northwest Ordinance also set up limited forms of self-government for the territories that were to become states and banned slavery in these western territories ("Northwest Ordinance"). The Land Ordinance of 1785 was another piece of legislation created under the rule of the Articles of Confederation. The Land Ordinance arranged a guideline for selling western lands and specified a section of land in each small township to be used for education of the public ("Land Ordinance of 1785"). The Land Ordinance was so effective it was used even after the Articles of Confederation were no longer the governing document for the nation. These two ordinances passed under the Articles of Confederation established an orderly fashion for the addition of new states and a precedent for public education for the future and were some of the only effective legislation passed during the time of the Article’s control. The general management of the economic state of the nation under the Articles of Confederation was ineffective because the Articles lacked national power over the states.
After the bitter, protracted war with Great Britain, the fledgling nation was left in extreme debt. The new national government needed a revenue source to pay off the enormous debt. However, under the Articles of Confederation, the new and young national government did not have the power to collect taxes ("Articles of Confederation”, 1777). Instead, the national government relied on the states to tax and donate money to the national debt. The reliance on the states for income caused the national government to be extremely weak, ill-funded, and unable to pay back debts to foreign nations or fund future expenditures ("Economic and the Articles"). The inability of the United State’s national government to pay back foreign debts caused other nations to look down upon the new democracy. The Articles of Confederation’s ineffective regulation of the national economy caused the budding nation innumerable …show more content…
obstacles. The Articles of Confederation also contained no provision to for the national government to regulate commerce. Therefore, individual states took control of their economies, including imports and exports ("Articles of Confederation”, 1777). Foreign goods were therefore allowed to infiltrate the new nation’s economic market. American-made goods were not comparable to the cheap foreign made goods from other nations. Young American industries struggled to survive against foreign markets ("The Economic Crisis of the 1780s"). The national government’s only possible counterbalance was to coin more money, a right given to the national government in the Articles of Confederation ("Articles of Confederation”, 1777). The resulting mass amount of currency circulating in the American economy caused extreme inflation and unrest throughout the nation. The national government’s almost nonexistent role in regulating the economy, due to the limitations in the Articles of Confederation, caused the young growing nation severe economic setbacks and instability. The weak, unregulated national economy resulted in extreme unrest throughout the nation. Many states raised taxes in attempt to pay off debts. Residents unable to pay their state taxes were often imprisoned by the state. Farmers began to band together in attempts to force the distant national government to recognize the people’s economic hardships ("Shays' Rebellion"). In Massachusetts, the farmer Daniel Shays gathered a group of followers together. The rebels attempted to raid an armory and steal weapons, but the rebellion was shut down by the state militia ("George Washington Discusses Shays&rsquo"). However, the first outburst of violence caused by internal issues in post-Revolutionary War America shocked politicians throughout the nation. Politicians and citizens realized the Articles of Confederation’s weaknesses in responding to the changing needs of the general public. Shays’ Rebellion began a national movement to replace the Articles of Confederation with a stronger and more effective form of national government (Foner and Garraty). In addition the economic conditions of the nation, foreign policy was another area the Articles of Confederation did not address effectively.
The Treaty of Paris was signed in 1783 during the time when the Articles of Confederation were the United State’s national government. In the treaty, Great Britain recognized the United States of America as its own independent nation with the Mississippi River as the western boundary of the new nation ("Treaty of Paris (1783)”, 1783; Wallis). However, other foreign nations recognized the weakness of the United State’s central government under the Articles of Confederation. Britain continued to keep a stronghold in North America by utilizing trading posts in the Northwest Territory, which directly violated the Treaty of Paris ("Treaty of Paris (1783)”, 2015). Other foreign nations also generally avoided trading with the United States as the nation could not guarantee its agreements would be enforced under the Articles of Confederation ("Economic and the Articles"). The new nation’s inability to tax, enforce laws, regulate commerce, or pay back debts earned little respect from European superpowers. The lack of respect from other foreign nations and the United State’s weak government under the Articles of Confederation had the inexperienced nation heading towards a foreign diplomatic
failure. The Articles of Confederation persisted as the nation’s governing document for only a few short years. The Articles did provide an initial framework for the newly freed colonies to unite as a country. In regards to western lands, the two land ordinances established a way for the nation to add states equal to the original thirteen into the nation and established a precedent for public education. Overall, however, the Articles of Confederation posed more problems than they addressed for the budding nation. The establishment of a working, central, stable economy and the development of successful foreign policy was nearly impossible to achieve under the Articles. The numerous weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, including the inability of national government to tax, the inability of national government to regulate commerce, and the inability of national government to enforce laws caused the Articles of Confederation to be an extremely ineffective document in regard to solving domestic and foreign problems. The Articles of Confederation were not the government a young nation just starting out in the world needed. However, the problems under the Articles of Confederation were recognized and later addressed during the creation of the national government of the United States that exists to this day, the Constitution of the United States of America.
George Washington contributed in helping establish a stable government after the adoption of the Constitution. Washington negotiated treaties to help stabilize the United States government. The first treaty was the Jay Treaty with Great Britain. This treaty was to address any loose ends that America had with its mother country including unfair trade policies, presence of British troops, and impressment of American sailors. Impressment was when the British would kidnap American sailors and force the sailors to work in their military under brutal conditions. Through the treaty, the U.S. realized on an international level how weak America appeared, as well as not have much negotiating power with Great Britain in the treaty. People disliked how the United States gave into Britain’s negotiations. Although the Jay Treaty did not do much for America, the Pinckney Treaty did. This treaty was negotiated with Spain, who controlled New Orleans at the time, and allowed the Unites States to use the New Orleans port to trade. This was considered a very successful accomplishment, as farmers in the Northwest Territory could now ship their goods down by the Mississippi River to trade. Washington also helped to
The unpredictable failure of the Articles of Confederation to the continental congress was a huge problem. The Articles of Confederation was made so the states would have more power, And limit the powers of the national government. Main contributors for this action was the fear that the national government will gain too much power and overstep its authority.This would have a negative effect on the nation, because tensions will start to rise for the ineffectiveness of this new system of government. A Rebellion best known as Shays rebellion, took place shortly after The adoption of the Articles of Confederation. The states, in which shays rebellion has taken place, were becoming unjust/unfair the way in which the state collected taxes. Since the Articles of Confederation was a complete failure
During the American Revolution the not yet established United States, held two Continental Congresses that eventually help defeat Britain. The First Continental Congress informed the local militias to prepare for war. The Second Continental Congress helped end the war and issue the Declaration of Independence. The Second Continental congress sought out to create a national government for our new country named the Articles of Confederation. However, The Articles of Confederation had many problems, for example, Congress and the states shared the right to regulate currency and issue money. This led to an excess of currency, which pushed down the value of currency and created inflationary pressure on the Continental dollar. The downfall of the Articles of Confederation ultimately sparked a political conflict between
One’s ability to analyze the motives of the Framers necessitates some understanding of the sense of national instability instilled in the US its first form of government, the Articles of Confederation in granting little power to the central government; in particular, focusing on the economic turmoil and it’s effects on the Framers. In his analysis of America in the Articles, Beard comprehensively summarizes the failures of the Articles as compromising to the “national defense, protection of private property, and advancement of commerce,” (Beard, 36) in the US. Additionally, Beard utilizes these indisputable truths to establish a case for what he believes to be the self-interested influences that urged the Framers to craft an undemocratic Constitution. As Beard puts it, the state centered control of the US under the Articles caused the economic
It was the mid-late 1700s, and America had finally achieved and received independence from Great Britain. Peace in America on the other hand, not so much. After gaining independence, the Articles of Confederation were made as a system of government for the United States, but gave very imbalanced power between federal and state levels. For example, on the federal level, the national government couldn't force a state to pay taxes. To try to amend the Articles, in 1787, a meeting made up of delegates representing the states was called up, but instead, what would be created is what we now know as the Constitution. But how exactly did this document remedy the flaws of the Articles, and prevent tyranny from unjust amounts and usage of power? The Constitution helped stop tyranny in government with a
The Americans after obtaining independence from England needed to establish a form of government. Before the war had ended, the Second Congress of the Confederation called for the drafting of a new government in order to govern this new country, which the Articles of Confederation established. The Articles of Confederation built a government solely based off republican ideals, such as civic virtue, the idea that the states and the people will make sacrifices to the common good in order to benefit everybody. Relying on civic virtue did not pull through as successful for the young country. The Articles of Confederation shone through as successful in organizing and establishing states in the Old Northwest, spreading republican ideals; however, the success of the Articles of Confederation was trumped by its failures. The Articles of Confederation failed to provide a new and young United States with an effective government in its inability to collect tax revenue to pay debts, controlling the mobocratic uprising of upset factions, and dealing with foreign policies; additionally, the failure of the Articles of Confederation revealed the inefficiency and failure of republicanism.
In an effort to limit the power of the national government, Congress created one without enough power to govern effectively, which led to serious national and international problems. One of the main weaknesses under the Articles of Confederation was its incapability to regulate trade and levy taxes. The states controlled all of their “cash flows.” Sometimes, the states were in debt because of tariff wars that they would engage in with one another.
The thirteen American colonies were under the British control until they declared their independence from British in 1776. A year after the declaration of independence, the continental congress established the Article Of Confederation, which was the first constitution in the United States. According to manythings.org, “During that war, the colonies were united by an agreement called the Articles of Confederation”. It was later ratified in 1781, but it had many negatives because it was very weak. According to manythings.org, the Articles Of Confederation did not: organize a central government, create courts or decide laws, nor provide an executive to carry out the laws, and all it did was just create a Congress. This congress was very useless
The year of 1776 was a time of revolution, independence, and patriotism. American colonists had severed their umbilical cord to the Mother Country and declared themselves “Free and Independent States”.1 The chains of monarchy had been thrown off and a new government was formed. Shying away from a totalitarian government, the Second Continental Congress drafted a document called the Articles of Confederation which established a loose union of the states. It was an attempt at self-government that ended in failure. The Articles of Confederation had many defects which included a weak central government that lacked the power to tax, regulate trade, required equal representation and a unanimous vote to amend the Articles, and had only a legislative branch. As a result the United States lacked respect from foreign countries. These flaws were so severe that a new government had to be drafted and as a result the Constitution was born. This document remedied the weak points of the federal government and created one that was strong and fair, yet still governed by the people.
On July 4, 1776 the Declaration of Independence was signed. The thirteen colonies were no longer under King George III rule. It was a new world that needed a new type of leadership. On July 12, 1776 the Second Congress proposed the Articles of Confederation. The articles were ratified by all thirteen states on March 1, 1781.
After the American Revolution, each of the original 13 colonies operated under its own rules of government. Most states were against any form of centralized rule from the government. They feared that what happened in England would happen again. They decided to write the Articles of Confederation, which was ratified in 1781. It was not effective and it led to many problems.
The Articles of Confederation were incapable of providing the United States with an effective form of government. The Articles of Confederation presided weakly over the government as it allowed little or no power to tax, control trade, and branches of government were missing. In addition to this, the thirteen states acted as separate nations and the national government had little control over them.
The Articles of Confederation was the first government of the United States. The Articles had created a very weak national government. At the time the Articles were approved, they had served the will of the people. Americans had just fought a war to get freedom from a great national authority--King George III (Patterson 34). But after this government was put to use, it was evident that it was not going to keep peace between the states. The conflicts got so frequent and malicious that George Washington wondered if the “United” States should be called a Union (Patterson 35). Shays’ Rebellion finally made it evident to the public that the government needed a change.
In 1776 when the Colonies declared their independence from Great Britain with the Declaration of Independence they had one clear goal in mind: become a sovereign nation and avoid the tyranny of Great Britain. What they did not know, however, is that they had to face many more issues beyond simply cutting the ties with Great Britain; they also had to create and maintain a working system of rules which could guide them into becoming the United States of America. Once Independence was gained in 1783, the Articles of Confederation were created, but with many deep flaws in the system. The Federal government had no power, and the states were loosely held together and hardly acted as if they were a single united nation. After recognizing that these problems were too large to overcome easily, several of the greatest men in the nation gathered together to rectify these problems.
The Articles failed to provide a solid monetary system to ensure that taxes would be paid or to protect commerce. Congress had no way to collect taxes to pay off pre-war debts. This led to chaos and anarchy when soldiers realized that there is a delay in what they requested (Document C). Each State had its own money, but there was no national money system. Since the money had no value from state to state, the people began to use the barter system of trade. This reduced the amount of trade and importation of goods. There was very little economic progress and growth during this period even though the population was increasing. (Document B). Self interest of the States and of individuals added to the cause of the problems. For example, John Jay tried to create a treaty with Great Britain that would have been bad for the merchants of the United States but it would have paid off the war debt.