Articles Of Confederatoin
...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...
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