Magruder’s American Government
1st Edition
ISBN: 9780133306996
Textbook solutions
All Solutions
Section 2-3: First Steps
Exercise 1
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In order to create a successful institution consisting of a number of states legally agreeing to the same principles, with the goal of not exercising coercive force over other states, the government must come to an agreement. This is the reason for the debates over the Articles of Confederation, which served the purpose of creating a union.
Step 2
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In order for the union to be successful and fulfill the principles of the Declaration, there had to be a common agreement on how much money each of the states would pay into the common treasury, so the debates over this affected the creation of the Confederacy. The common treasury is what makes the wheels turn, it is the economy of the states and the budget allows the states to make new ventures, strengthen national security, and do other important things. There was some disagreement over taxation, especially of slaves. Southern states argued that slaves were “property and not persons”. Eventually, Congress agreed to levy contributions to the treasury based on the value of each state’s property and population. Another point of the debate was what voting rights each state had in Congress. Some states debated that it should be based on the population of the state.
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The debates were, in a few simple words, about forming a new governmental structure that would work for each individual state as well as the states as a whole. Major topics of the debate were: **number of the voting representatives in the Congress and contribution to the Treasury**.
Exercise 2
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The new form of government at the beginning of, and during the Revolutionary War did not prove successful, as the states eventually started becoming greedy of one another. However, the structure under the Articles of Confederation proved useful and proved some of the lessons learned against the English colonists. The structure used to defeat the colonists was aimed at building a stronger central government, as this way victory was closer to realization. The ideas of a limited power have begun to come to life, ideas have not flourished, but it was enough to fight against the colonists, who were royal authority based.
Exercise 3
Solution 1
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Result
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For the same reasons it was a limited government: after all the independence had a lot to do with the excessive and undemocratic taxes of king George III. The States wouldn’t have agreed immediately to form part of a structure with the power to tax them. Some provisions were made to ensure the Confederation was well financed, but they never work and there was no effective mean to enforce them.
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In the early days of the government, the most important thing for the States to do was to band together, that is, to fight together for independence. One of the reasons that originally led to conflict between the natives and the colonists was **displeasure with the high taxation imposed by the king**.
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After the occurring events took place, some states took their time to transition and pay high taxes. The Congress was aware of this and did not enforce the taxation requirement so it refrained it from the Articles as it could have affected the cohesion between the States that already somewhat existed. Fortunately for the States, there were a few states that provided funding for the government movement.
Exercise 4
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Result
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After independence States became wary of each other, they built their own armies and made international agreements with other nations, the Confederation had no power to prevent them effectively. There was a general chaos and the State’s government was weakened by their own attempts at autonomy, they coined their own currency generating trade problems and price instability. Shay’s Rebellion was one of many uprising in those times.
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In the emergency situation of the struggle for independence, the newly formed government had its weaknesses, and the Shays rebellion reflected the weaknesses of that government. **The overall internal economic and legal situation of the states did not look good**. The states were taxing each other’s goods. People went into debt publicly and privately, the farmers who served as soldiers were underpaid, and greed prevailed between the states. Sometimes the States even made agreements with other nations without any consent or mindfullnes of others. The States were far from the idea of popular sovereignty, and the government did not function properly.
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**Shays’ Rebellion** was important because it pointed out all of these problems and **showed that the government desperately needed to form the Constitution that would make the States function**. Massachusetts farmers began a chain of incidents, led by a former officer Daniel Shays who served in the war for independence, because they were underpaid while paying huge taxes. This led to debt and violence as farmers lost their property due to the poor economy and legislation function. As one of the results, Massachusetts created laws that reduced the burden of debtors.
Exercise 5
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Result
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No, the States didn’t obey the Articles, as soon as independence was achieved they started to try to become independent units, coning their own money and refusing to cooperate to the Confederation treasury. Maryland and Virginia had trade disputes they opted to solve them independently instead of within the Confederation rules and articles. By 1785 it was evident the Confederation was an empty carcass.
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When the States ratified the Articles, they agreed to obey them, however when things unfolded they did not obey the agreement, and the newly formed government wasn’t solid enough to respond to the violations of the mutual consent between the States.
Step 2
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The States often did not respect the newly formed government, and as a result of not cooperating according to the agreement, jealousy and greed grew between some of the States as they sometimes taxed one another for the goods. Money was printed, internal deals were made between the states, and international agreements with the other nations, all without the approval of the Congress. This is fine when states are independent entities, but not when there was a mutual agreement with the Congress between the States which forbidden such actions.Â
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This led to an economic chaos that spread throughout the region. **For example, Maryland and Virginia ignored the Congress** and held a conference on trade without the Congress being present or agreeing. Imagine if something like that happened today.
Result
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**The States were not abiding by a treaty** they had signed because they were **making their own political decision** as if they were independent entities, and often without the approval of the Congress.
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