Troubles in the New American Nation 1781-1789

The period between 1781 and 1789 in American history has often been referred to as a critical period, perhaps the most critical, in the development of American democracy. The passage of the Articles of Confederation following the end of the Revolutionary War reflected the tensions between the revolutionaries-turned-politicians in the new nation. The British had given the Americans an example of an antithetical government to personal freedom, one in which the bureaucratic system was large, impersonal, and against the ideals of political power inherent within the American Declaration of Independence. The political development of the confederated American states reflected this lesson and state governments were given more power than the federal government.

The state constitutions of all of the former colonies exhibited similar characteristics. The states, much like the federal government, gave the legislatures far more power than the executive and judicial branches. This was an homage to the constitutional congresses that helped free America and an indictment of the strong executive idea, which was seen as a promotion of monarchy. As well, the states included in their constitutions a “Bill of Rights,” which guaranteed certain rights for citizens such as free assembly and free speech. Such legal groundwork would lead to the addition to ten amendments to the American Constitution in 1787. In response to the Anglican Church’s dominance in England, the states refused a state church in favor of a secular government. These constitutions also included manumission laws, which made it legal for slave owners to free slaves, including some states abolishing the slave trade and loosening the slave codes that dictated slave behavior. Finally, the states tried to create an intellectually sound environment by encouraging writing, the arts, and science in state schools and universities.