New York: International Publishers, 1976. Farrand, Max. The Fathers of the Constitution. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1921 McLaughlin, Cunningham Andrew. The Confederation and the Constitution.
In 1774, the First Continental Congress met and formed and began to raise issues which would later stimulant local organizations to end their fidelity for England. However, not everyone favored the revolutionary moveme... ... middle of paper ... ... to using arms after a decade of fighting verbally, was because both sides finally became aware that force alone would decide on the issues which divided the empire. In April 1775, the battle of Lexington occurred, closely followed by the battle of Concord. “These two very important bloodshed served to evoke the sprit of the American patriotism”. The Second Continental Congress met on May 10, 1775 and George Washington was elected commander of the patriotic forces.
It must be understood that though Americans were fighting for the right of democracy and each state wanted self-government, later that same issue turned into a big problem. Soon after America became independent, the former British colonies decided to form their own governments. It was then that the real battle began. The task of forming separate constitutions for each state, along with the formation of governmental institutions, turned in to a huge task -- a task so gigantic that it forced some states to rethink the matter and soon the rumors of a central government started circulating. It was then that the leaders of the nation decided to write a central constitution, which would be followed by all states.
Relations between the thirteen British colonies and their mother country became strained after the Seven Years War when colonial America yearned for its own independence from Great Britain. Throughout the war the British government supported the American colonies but suffered serious financial losses. In desperation to seek compensation and retain power of its overseas colonies, the English Parliament began imposing strict laws and taxes on the colonists. In retaliation the furious colonists demanded sovereignty and when Parliament refused to grant it to them, a Revolutionary War erupted in 1775. During the Revolutionary War, on June 12, 1776, the Second Continental Congress representing all of the thirteen colonies under British control assembled a draft of the Articles of Confederation; the first of two doctrines that resulted in the eventual unification of the divided colonies, establishment of a self government, and the ratification of today’s U.S. Constitution.
Dana Majewski Due September 28, 2011 Mr. Klaff AP U.S In 1776, when the United States declared independence from Britain, the new country needed a set of laws to apply to all of the states to replace the earlier British rule. The colonists, however, were concerned that if the United States put too much power in the central government the states rights would vanish. Therefore, the first form of government, the Articles of Confederation, gave too much power to the states and insufficient power to the central government. States could create their own money and refuse federal taxes, which caused many tribulations and almost destroyed the new country. In 1787, delegates from twelve states came together to revise the Articles of Constitution to provide the citizens with a stronger central government.
The Evolution of Federalism American federalism has changed drastically since its genesis. In 1776 the thirteen colonies adopted the Articles of Confederation in order to coordinate their efforts in the war for independence. The Articles of Confederation bound the states together in two main aspects; foreign and military affairs. The Articles of Confederation worked well while all the states had a common cause. However, as soon as the war ended and interests began to change, it became obvious that the Articles were not enough.
The Articles of Confederation When confronted with the task of constructing a new nation, the founders of the United States had recently emerged from centuries of religious and political oppression by an overly strong central government. After winning their independence, one of the most pressing issues on their minds was the assurance that their new government would have limitations, disallowing it to molest their posterity. The patriarchs wanted a government that balanced between abuse and inefficiency. The first attempt to satiate this dream was the Articles of Confederation. In the period directly following Cornwallis’s surrender, the fresh nation discovered a new task, governing their now-sovereign territories.
The fear of the 13 colonies was to have a powerful central government, as they did in Great Britain. The Articles were changed drastically by the Continental Congress before they were sent in November of 1777 to all the states for ratification. It tool several years for the ratification to be completed by all the states. The Articles were put into play March 1, 1781 The colonists effectively created a central government without sufficient power to govern effectively. Finally a unanimous approval was required to pass Laws at the mercy of the state, the main problem was the governments inability to regulate trade.
“A Political Revolution: America’s Ideological Beginnings” To understand the ideologies of the American Revolution the circumstances that created the dramatic desires for change must be closely examined. The American frame of mind in the years before the revolution was hostile at best. The years of laments falling on deaf English ears had pushed the American Colonists to the edge. The tensions were rising between Britain and the American Colonies. During this time some of the most influential writers in American history emerged.
Congress felt the Article of Confederation was not enough to effectively deal with the young nations issues. Congress knew it was time for the country to move forward, and to do that, there would be some big changes ahead, and that was the end of the Articles of Confederation, and the beginning of the created US Constitution. Reasons for the Constitutional Convention After the Revolutionary War, Congress had faced a huge debt. The United States owed money to the French since they aided support to the war. The government did not have a straightforward plan to meet its financial debt.