the British Acts, and sent a petition to King George III called the Declaration of Rights and Grievances(#6), one declaration in the grievance invited the people of Canada to join with the King's authorization. The First Continental Congress was important because it brought our country closer to independence as well as the Revolutionary War. With Parliament rejecting the petition, a second continental congress was held. The Second Congress signed the Declaration of Independace(#7) in July, 1776, and adjourned on December 12, 1776. The Second Congress established an armed force, commanded by Virginia's George Washington; it established trade regulations; and it authorized the issuance of money. The Articles of Confederation were agreed to by Congress on November 15, 1777; ratified and in force, March 1, 1781. The congress tried to come up with a Constitution that would mirror the Declaration of Independence, but as wee will see they did not do a good job. These Articles were adopted durring the Revolutionary War and created a powerless government that was subordinate to the states.
             By 1784 the county was in bad shape. And with the states ununited and unrest mounting in the backshadows of the entire country, a former Revolutionary Army captain who was disgusted with the unrest he was viewing led a rebellion by farmers against disturbed economic conditions and against politicians and laws which were grossly unfair to farmers and working people in general. And on January 25, 1787, Shays led 2000 rebels to Springfield, MA to storm the arsenal, but government forces of about 1200 soldiers led by General Shepard quelled the revolt. The rebels were captured and sentenced to death for treason in February 1787, but later pardoned. This was the straw the broke the camels back, Shays' Rebellion made it clear that the army as-well as Congress itself were week (#8) and that unrest was increasing. And so, the Federal ...