Articles Of Confederation Dbq Essay

It can be said that in a democracy, unity among the many cannot exist without compromise. Following the conclusion of the American Revolutionary War in 1776, the Articles of Confederation (the “Articles”) were written to allay fears about, and promote liberty, for its citizens, by legitimizing the rights of individual states. However, the Articles provided such restrictive powers for the underfunded national government to counteract deficiencies, that the union was at risk of collapse. A series of meetings, known as the Constitutional Convention (the “Convention”), was held to fix America’s dysfunctional political system, resulting in re-writing the American Constitution. Throughout the process of ratifying this historic document, many disputes
For example, when the topic of limiting the importation of slaves was discussed at the Convention, the representatives from the southern states threatened to leave the union over it. The southerners were fearful that their entire economy and way of life would be destroyed, as they depended on the continuation of slavery for a cheap labor. Alternatively, slavery was largely distasteful to many northerners. Northern parties at the Convention typically understood that it was disadvantageous to them, that slaves would be treated as people in population count for representation purposes, but as untaxed property for import purposes. In the end, both the southerners and the northerners voted with their pocketbook; they were fearful of the financial consequences for their constituents.. A compromise was reached to appease the south, that slave importation would not be limited for the next 20 years. However, to appease the north, Congress would be permitted to levy a duty of $10 per head on each slave that was imported. In reaching this solution, unity was thus preserved, by quelling the parties’ fears over financial