Welcome! To the Articles of Confederation.

The Articles of Confederation were produced by John Dickinson in 1776, the same time that the Declaration of Independence was completed. They were adopted by the Continental Congress in 1777, and they went into effect in 1781, having been ratified by all of the colonies. It all began when the colonists' attitudes started to change because of England. In 1754, local assemblies had rejected the Albany Plan of Union, refusing to surrender even the smallest part of their autonomy to any other body, even the one that they elected. Mutual aid had proved effective in the course of Revolution, and the fear of relinquishing individual authority had lowered a lot.

Many weaknesses had overcome the governmental framework established by the Articles. The national government had no power or authority to set up tariffs when necessary, to regulate commerce and could not levy taxes. It did not have sole control of international relations: a lot of states had begun to negotiate with foreign countries. Several states had their own navy, and nine states had even organized their own armies! There was a variety of national and state paper bills and a curious hodgepodge of coins. The war caused economic difficulties, which called for a change. Merchants who supplied the armies of both sides had to endure a severe effect because of the end of the war.

The demand for a stronger central government to implement a uniform policy was caused by the inconsistent tariffs. The people that suffered the most from the economic difficulties that followed the Revolution were the farmers. Farm produce was so high, that it exceeded demand. I know you probably think that this helped the farmers but it didn't. No one wanted their crops because they could find them everywhere, therefore the prices were lowered. Farmer-debtors wanted strong remedies so that they could avoid foreclosure on their property and also to avoid imprisonment for debt. Suits for debt clogged the courts. Popular conventions and informal gatherings demanded reform in the state administrations all through the summer of 1786.