Today
in Western Civilization we started a PowerPoint on the developing American
government after the Revolutionary War. This took place from about the 1700’s
to the 1800’s. After the war, the Second Continental Congress was formed. In
1777 the Articles of Confederation were written (Maryland ratified these
documents last). This was America’s first constitution. It gave the country a
name (The United States of America), established diplomacy, set up trade with
other nations, and set up cooperation between states. However, this document
was flawed as it had many large controversies and loopholes. Each state was
treated as a separate country, each maintained itself separate from the
government, and there was one vote for each state in the “Congress of
Confederation”. This last one wasn’t considered fair as some states put in more
than others. The property value of each state determined how much they paid,
which meant bigger states paid more but technically got the same say compared
to states who were smaller and gave less. Quebec was invited to join the U.S.,
but declined (Canadians!!! WHOOOOOO!!!). Unfortunately, the country began to
have many issues due to these loopholes. Debts couldn’t be paid because
Congress couldn’t collect taxes. Each state printed their own money, which led
to problems as you couldn’t use one state’s money in another. Britain has cut
off trade, and the U.S. needed new trade partners. The country’s governing
power was in deadlock as each side pushed either more government control or
rights for the states. Secretary of state, Thomas Jefferson, said that states
should handle their own affairs, while Alexander Hamilton said that America
should consolidate banking and taxes and work together.
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