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Surname 1
Institution:
Instructor:
Date:
American History
1.
The Articles of Confederation was the very first written constitution of the United States.
The Congress felt had a desire for a unified and strong government which had enough power to
beat the British. To achieve this, the new Union required to have a constitution. Central authority
was feared when creating this government since it was hard for a republic to govern such a vast
nation. Thus, for the need of a national feeling, foreign aid and recognition in the wartime, six
drafts were presented to the Congress which settled a final version in 1777. These Articles had
their demerits which were the formation of a weak central government and the lack of a strong
confederation of the thirteen states it represented. This left most of the power in the states.
Nationally, the United States could be recognized in a foreign way and could also receive foreign
aid. The nationalistic appeal increased patriotism in the fight against the British (Smith, 1997).
After ratification of the Articles, the United States expanded its territories over the
Mississippi River and Appalachian Mountains owing to the defeat of the British. This was more
achieved through unity posed by the Articles, the patriotism and foreign recognition and aid. A
protest by farmers from western Massachusetts about tax proved that the central government
could not manage a simple rebellion since it tended to depend on state militia to fight local
uprisings. Without money, it was hard for the central government to protect the union. Therefore,
there arose the need to change the Articles of Confederation and form a Constitution (Samson,
Surname 2
1990). The fears which were to be addressed were a currency system, law maintenance, proper
tax strategies, authority over foreign and trade policies and an amendment process.
2.
When President George Washington assumed office in 1789, his first concern was the
financial stability of the United States. The nation had borrowed heavily during the
Revolutionary War. It owed forty one million dollars to many citizens, bankers and merchants
from whom the then leaders had borrowed for the purposes of supplies, food and guns. In
addition, the nation owed the French eleven million dollars for the military and financial aid and
support which helped defeat the British. Some of the leaders wanted to pay the debt in
instalments or partially but President Washington hel...