Forming A New Nation
"The issue today is the same as it has been throughout all history, whether man shall be allowed to govern himself or be ruled by a small elite."
~Thomas Jefferson
~Thomas Jefferson
America had finally gained its freedom after the long and difficult war. However, the issue of how to run the new nation still remained.
The Revolutionary War led to America's independence. Though the nation had won the war, it would soon be starting another long and difficult journey: The journey of forming a new nation.
The Articles of Confederation was America's first written Constitution that was used to run their nation. However, it had many significant problems that needed to be solved.
Because of the American Revolution, America gained independence from Britain
There needed to be a new government for the nation
A document called The Articles of Confederation was created in hopes of forming the desired government
The framers intended on establishing a government with very little centralized power, as opposed to Britain's previous rule
There were many critical problems with The Articles of Confederation, such as:
- The federal government did not have the power to tax the states
- No power to regulate commerce (trading) between the states
- No president or other form of an executive
- The states were like separate individual bodies
America was in a large amount of debt from The American Revolution
With no power to tax and the disorganized flow of trade, there was an economic crisis in America
States were like separate nations → Lack of unity in nation
Obviously, there needed to be a drastic change in the way the government was set up
