In eighteenth-century America, the idea of a generally limited national government force and each state having its own powerful government was prominently accepted. However, the Continental Congress did not accept these ideas, and had already created the Articles of Confederation in 1777. It was not yet ratified, but it was an idea clashing with individual state governments; this conflict was the basis of the post-Revolutionary American search for government. The emerging state governments held a strong belief in conducting their own affairs. They could operate voting rights, taxes, money, defense, etc. Each state was governed by its own written constitutions that were relatively similar, but were still unique. They generally limited the power