Articles of Confederation dbq
Essentially, when Britain agreed to the terms of the Treaty of Paris following the Revolutionary War in 1783, a new American nation was finally legitimized. The United States, which as thirteen individual colonies had retained a tradition of internal jealousies and suspicions, began a long and difficult process of building a democratic cohesion for the first time. More or less, at this juncture, the only true unifying force between the newly formed states was a ramshackle national government devised by the Articles of Confederation, a political document that was created during the open hostilities two years earlier. However, in less than ten years after the Revolution's conclusion, this sole unifying force proved far too inadequate as a system of government to support an expanding nation, and it was replaced with a stronger Constitution. Overall, from 1781 to 1789, the Articles of Confederation failed to provide a truly effective government both politically and economically. Perhaps the most fundamental inefficiencies of the Articles were related to the nation's economy. Having just won just won their own control over commerce and taxation from Britain, the individual states were reluctant to hand these privileges to anothe
This governmental feebleness exhibited itself in several areas of the American economy. Individual state currencies became a serious concern as well, as a number of states illegally passed laws making official their virtually worthless money. States were then to tax their own citizens to raise money for these expenses and turn the proceeds over to Congress. The government was further hampered in this area under the Articles because it was essentially powerless to raise an army to suppress movements that broke down the law. In many cases, this condition led to rivalries over commercial matters. For nearly a decade, the government had been basically second to state interests and was consequently ineffective. For example, Spain speedily closed the mouth of the Mississippi River in 1784 to American commerce and conspired with Indians to keep the Americans east of the Alleghenies to protect its southern outposts. Furthermore, politically, only a unicameral legislature existed with which it was virtually impossible to improve existing laws, and without an executive branch or an ability to raise an effective army, law enforcement was nearly impossible for the government. Consequently, states were essentially free to establish conflicting laws concerning tariffs and navigation (Doc A). Also in economic regard, under the Articles, Congress could not regulate interstate or foreign trade. As a result, the government was basically obligated, as it was with its own states, to request that the British reconsider their actions (Doc D). For example, under the Articles, Congress had no power to tax the individual states; rather, a voluntary taxation program prevailed. Incidentally, many were war veterans who had not yet been paid by the penniless government whose revenue was dictated by the states. New York, for example, taxed firewood from Connecticut and cabbages from New Jersey, taking advantage of its good harbors. Foremost, in place of the executive and legislative branches that would eventually appear in the Constitution, the Articles permitted only a unicameral legislature to pass laws.
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