U.S Constitution
In 1787, a few years after America broke away from England, the constitution we use today was made. Before that, starting in 1777, the states operated under a government they called the "Articles of Confederation." This government basically said that each state should have its own independence, and operate within their own government. After about 6 years, this government didn't work very well, because of civil unrest, bad trade, and inflation. A group of people led by George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, Benjamin Franklin, and others, believed in the constitution. These people were called Federalists. They believed that the states should be operated by one unified single government. The Federalists wanted to write a new constitution, and make a more efficient government, and they did. Anti-Federalists, such as Samuel Adams or Patrick Henry believed the opposite. In 1777, the articles of confederation were written. This was the first ever constitution in the United States. The Articles didn't really work very well, because of a few problems. They basically said that each state was their own government, and the 13 states weren't really connected under the same government at all. They has
Even though that's what they were sent there for, it wouldn't be a good idea to try and fix the Articles of Confederation. The Articles of confederation actually worked for a few years, however, after about 6 or 7 years, these problems started emerging and the society split into Federalist groups and non-Federalist groups. The amount in circulation was too much, and as a result, the value of money went down. The debtor gets a good deal that way, but the creditor (the other guy) gets a bad deal. This constitution would be one that unites America, and forms all 13 states into one government. He passes or vetoes laws made by the congress (legislative branch). We would share the same currency, and not have to worry about anything like interstate trade. They hold secret meetings and don't tell anyone about it. Non-Federalists believed that it was a bad idea to change anything, and that we should keep things the way they are. Federalists thought that if we had a more central united government, we would be more protected and prepared for events like Shays' rebellion. They felt threatened by the new constitution that might have been made, and they decided to add in their own part on how they felt about the laws. As the Framers of the constitution were writing it, they wanted to make sure that the United States didn't end up like England. Massachusetts set higher taxes, which really hurt farm owners. their own system of money, laws, trade, and others, and this didn't work well at all. A man named Daniel Shays started a rebellion, and him and his followers would tar & feather any tax collectors who came to his house for money.
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