LITMIR.BIZ

      Samuel Huntington (1731–1796) was a leading early American statesman from Connecticut. He served as chief justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court and as governor of Connecticut—his last public office. But Huntington was also the first president of the Continental Congress when the Articles of Confederation were ratified. Thus, some have made the claim that Samuel Huntington was technically the first president of the United States.

      What significant piece of legislation impacting the future growth of the country passed under the Articles of Confederation?

      Probably the finest achievement of the government under the Articles of Confederation was the passage of the Northwest Ordinance in July 1787. It created a territory of land that eventually became the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Minnesota. The law provided a process by which these individual territories could eventually become states.

      The Northwest Ordinance provided that none of the territories could allow slavery. It also provided for a great measure of religious freedom, providing: “No person, demeaning himself in a peaceable and orderly manner, shall ever be molested on account of his mode of worship, or religious sentiments, in the said territory.”

      What caused some leaders to want a new constitution?

      It became apparent that a stronger central government was needed to protect the interests of the country as a whole. The economic interests of the Northern states clashed with the economic interests of the Southern states. Some states feuded over navigational rights over rivers. Congress could not force states to contribute money and funds needed to address emergency circumstances.

       What happened to Daniel Shays?

      Shays fled to Vermont after his forces were defeated by the Massachusetts militia. A court in Massachusetts convicted him of treason while he hid in exile in Vermont. Sentenced to death, Shays appealed for a pardon, which was granted by then Massachusetts governor John Hancock. Shays then relocated to New York, where he died in 1825 in Sparta.

      Other leaders saw the need for a strong central government after Shay’s Rebellion in Massachusetts in 1786–1787. A group of economically desperate farmers—led by former Revolutionary War veteran Daniel Shays (1747–1825)—marched on the county courthouse to protest and prevent the courts from issuing foreclosure notices on farmers. The Massachusetts government, led by governor James Bowdoin and General Benjamin Lincoln, organized a state militia and crushed the rebellion.

      What meetings of states caused even more discontent with the Articles?

      In March 1785, representatives from Virginia and Maryland met to discuss navigational rights and other issues surrounding the Potomac River. The delegates met at Mount Vernon, the home of General George Washington. The representatives from the so-called Mount Vernon conference agreed that more states needed to be involved in the discussions.

      This led to the Annapolis Convention, which met in 1786. Every state was invited to send representatives, but representatives from only five states—Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and New York—attended. The attendees agreed that there should be a national convention called to address problems with the Articles of Confederation. This led directly to the Philadelphia Convention of 1787.

THE U.S. CONSTITUTION

      What was the stated purpose of the Philadelphia Convention?

      The stated purpose of the Philadelphia Convention was to “revise the Articles of Confederation.” Instead, the delegates eventually scrapped the Articles of Confederation entirely and created a new system of government—what became known as the United States Constitution.

      Who were the leaders of the Philadelphia Convention?

      There were many leaders of the Philadelphia Convention—a group of men whom Thomas Jefferson referred to as an “assembly of demigods.” The delegates who attended the Convention unanimously selected George Washington—the hero of the Revolutionary War—as the president of the Convention. Washington’s presence brought confidence to the others and established the proceedings as legitimate in the eyes of many.

      Another leader in the Convention was James Madison, who is sometimes called “the Father of the Constitution.” Madison, a politician from Virginia, fervently believed the nation needed a strong central government to help guard against sectional divisions and other problems between the states. He came to the Convention early and prepared an outline of such a structure of government. He wrote a memorandum, “Vices of the Political Systems of the United States.” His planned structure of government was known as the Virginia Plan. Madison also took detailed notes during the Convention.