Articles of Confederatoin

Following the end of the Revolutionary War, the newly independent United States was in massive disarray as debts required payment and national policies needed to be established. The solution to these problems resulted in first governing document of our country, the Articles of Confederation. From 1781 to 1789 the Articles of Confederation established an effective government by unifying the country and providing the United States with an organized governmental body in a time immediately following war and desperation. The Articles of Confederation set up a government that provided America with a personal and individualized government, organizational policies and diplomatic negotiating abilities.

In its strife to create a more perfect union, the Articles of Confederation brought the government closer to the individual by strengthening state and city government powers (*). Though this ultimately created a weak national government, this power caused even the most common people to feel more engaged in governmental policies. Members of state legislatures were better able to represent each of their respective citizens, as they had more influence than the national government. In a Virginian delegates’ efforts to represent the needs and demands of army soldiers, Joseph Jones advocated for soldiers to be granted their hard earned money and bonuses following the conclusion of the Revolutionary War (Document C). Were it not for the closeness of the government to each individual, soldiers may not have had the opportunity to be represented and treated fairly. Previously, in 1782 the Rhode Island Assembly argued against the institution of a tax collection on imported goods. One major argument against this impost was that it would introduce policies and officials that were unfamiliar to Americans (Document A). In efforts to keep the country unified and have the government remain at a personal level, Rhode Island delegates strongly felt that governmental officials should be familiar and have the people’s best interest in mind, rather than focusing on national taxes and profit.

Not only did America’s first constitution unify the country by bringing the government close to home, but it also put organizational policies into action and helped the United States gain individual control of more resources, such as profit from trade and land. As the Articles of Confederation governed the nation, America slowly began to decrease the number of exports made to Great Britain. Although this ultimately cut down on the revenue acquired from Britain, the United States was determined to prove that they could be successful without large forms of assistance from their previous oppressor (Document B). Another way in which the Articles helped America gain resources was through the Northwest Ordinance, which was passed under the Article’s jurisdiction 1787 (*). The Northwest Ordinance greatly promoted westward expansion as it allowed for the exploration of new territories and the establishment of new states. It was because of this ordinance as well as the Land Ordinance of 1785 that a large land mass of northwestern territory was ceded by the United States in the mid 1780s (Document E). The effective government set up by the Articles allowed for the acquisition