As a revolt against British and early constitutions, America's first national government reflected fears of centralized authority and a possibility of corruption. John Dickinson drafted a proposal for a national government in 1776 which he called the Articles of Confederation. Congress adopted a weaker version of the Articles and had it ratified after the original was finished. The Articles of Confederation provided a partially reasonable and workable transition from the unitary system of British rule to the federal system established under the constitution.
             The Articles of Confederation adopted a Republican form of government that was quite different from the previous Unitary system of government British had. The Republican government allowed people to vote for representatives to become part of Congress and write and make new laws for them. This brought about a major change in the way the nation was run, by letting the people choose their leaders. Under the Articles, each state received an equal amount of power. Each state retained sovereignty, freedom, and independence from each other and other nations. Every State entered into a friendship with each other to help and assist others against any attacks made on them. The friendships between the states made the states a Unified Nation.
             The Articles settled the dispute over the land in the North West. In Document E, the map shows the land that was used in the NW Ordinance of 1787. The Ordinance planned how the government in the newly settled areas would be run. If the land had a population of 5,000 males or more, the area was a territorial government with a Governor of Congress. If the area had 60,000 inhabitants, the area became a State with its constitution. In the new states, Slavery was illegal until it became a state in which at that time it could decide on the issue of slavery. In the five areas that became states, none decided to have slavery.
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