How Do You Respond To The Failure Of The Articles Of Confederation Dbq

It starts with the failure of the Articles of Confederation (adopted in 1781) to provide the necessary framework of a national government that could protect its rights as an equal among others. To be more specific there are three issues facing America in 1786.

1) In Foreign Affairs; the failure to prevent the both the closure of the Mississippi River by Spain at New Orleans and the failure in gaining control of a series of forts along the Great Lakes that under the Treaty of Paris (1783) were suppose to be turned over to the United States after the Revolutionary War ended by England.

2) Within America there was a growing issue of both currency control and out of control inflation. With NO centralized government to control both the growth of currency from the states and inflation throughout the nation. In addition, the closure of British ports to American trade caused more problems for the young republic.

3) 1786, Shay’s Rebellion in Massachusetts scared many because of the possible threat that this rebellion posed not just in to the local government in Massachusetts but throughout the nation.

In the aftermath of Shay’s Rebellion and following a smaller

A number of different frameworks were considered but the debate quickly centered around two different plans; New Jersey (aka “Little State”) and Virginia (aka ‘big state”). The major difference between the two plans was in how the “votes” of the 13 states (actually 12 since Rhode Island didn’t attend…) would be counted (based upon population or simple equality of states). In the end Connecticut provide a compromise (aka “Great Compromise”) that took the best of both plans and created a federal republic based on a separation of powers, checks and balances, protection of private property, and the interests of