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14. Making Rules

The state constitutions, the Articles of Confederation, what that first Congress could and could not do, and the economic crisis of the 1780s.

14. Making Rules

The Stamp Act ended up being a major catalyst toward the American colonies organizing an active resistance to British rule. The Continental Congress was the fi…

14a. State Constitutions

James Wilson signed the Declaration of Independence and was the Advocate General for France in America from 1779 to 1783. The states now faced serious and comp…

14b. Articles of Confederation

The paper money issued by the Continental Congress was known as "Continentals." Not backed by silver or gold, the currency did not retain its value, and the sa…

14c. Evaluating the Congress

The town of Marietta, Ohio, was one of the first settlements in the Northwest Territory. The central failure of the Congress was related to its limited fiscal…

14d. The Economic Crisis of the 1780s

The slave trade followed a triangular route between Europe, Africa and the Americas. European goods such as cloth and guns were traded for slaves in Africa, wh…