The Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union A...

As the eighteenth century drew to a close, so too did British favorability; and by the end of 1774, conflict between Britain and the colonists was seemingly inevitable. The unprecedented mass distribution of Thomas Paine’s pamphlet, Common Sense, sparked a dialogue so revolutionary that it liberated Americans, allowing them to start their government afresh, free from their ties to the British past. On the 7th of June, 1776, the Second Continental Congress motioned for independence, tasking a committee to draft a declaration of independence. James Madison, outsourced by the drafting committee, would pen a blistering indictment of King George III’s transgressions. Formally acknowledging the colonial desire for war, his Declaration of†¦show more content†¦The Revolutionaries believed the central government should facilitate two basic functions: conduct military affairs and carry out both foreign and domestic diplomacy . Unfortunately, they did not possess foresi ght enough to see the instability of a nation headed by a weak central government; nor the predictable economic implications that would result from such ideology. Of the thirteen provisions which embodied the Articles of Confederation, the majority firmly allocated authority within state governments, ensuring retention of their sovereignty, freedom, independence; including every power, jurisdiction, and right not expressly delegated to the United States in Congress assembled. Logically, this intentionally asymmetrical distribution of power seemed appropriate for insulating the fledgling nation from the oppressive nature of monarchy; though, in reality, it only further corroded the integrity of American endurance by ravaging an already crippled post-war economy. Spearheading the American government under the Articles of Confederation was a fundamentally powerless unicameral Congress whose existence was merely symbolic. In it, each state held a singular vote based not on proportio nal representation, but on naà ¯ve principles ofShow MoreRelatedThe Revolutionary War1664 Words   |  7 Pagesbanking was undertaken by an act of the Congress of the Confederation, thereby creating the Bank of North America. This bank was given exclusivity in the domain of issuing of national bills and credit. The idea was that this bank run by Robert Morris would act as the monetary agent of the US government which was needed to help deal with the funding of the Revolutionary War. Prior to the ratification of the Articles of Confederation Perpetual Union in 1781, only the thirteen states had the sovereignRead More Three Principal Meetings that Led to the Adoption of the Constitution of the United States4889 Words   |  20 Pagesof our Constitution. Mason is well regarded as a political writer. His three most brilliant papers - Extracts from the Virginia Charters, The Virginia Resolutions and Declaration of Rights have become immortalized as the very foundations of American democracy. Herbert Lawrence Ganter identified George Mason as an eighteenth century champion of liberty for all. But these approbations are difficult to uncover. More commonly, one finds quotations such as †¦the writings of the great thinkers