Answer: In the year of 1783, when the British and the Americans signed the Treaty of Paris, which indicated that the Great Britain recognized the independence of the United States, the American people won the victory of the Revolution in the long run. But to make a nation, the Americans had to do more than win their independence. Like many newborn countries, this country was in a chaotic state in the first few years. The period after the Revolutionary War was characterized by economic depression and political crisis for the reason that all of the thirteen states were loosely bound together only by the Articles of Confederation (written in 1777 by John Dickson and ratified in 1781). Each state remained sovereign and could do things in its own way. Meanwhile, The Articles of Confederation did not set up executive and judicial organizations to enforce laws. The only branch of the central government was a single-chamber Congress, where each state had one vote. The Congress had no power to tax or to regulate trade; its primary functions were foreign relations, Indian affair, and western lands. Unanimous consent was needed for amendment, which made reforms almost impossible. A news dispatch of August 29,1787 in Philadelphia showed the condition of that time: No state has ever built any roads or realigned any rivers, they are wanting to see if the Central Government will do such necessary work. The trade and manufacturing companies have stopped their business, they are waiting to see what kind of protection and rewards they can get from the national commercial regulations.... Bondholders have always been worrying that their bonds may become waste paper, but today they pin all their hopes on an open, stable new Government. Even the poor farmers and suppressed tenants hope that a new Government would liberate them, they are waiting to see if the government would protect them from the Indians when they are living on the frontiers. (Wilson 1986:257) Now that the central government had no power to control business activities or directly levy taxes, it could not gain any money to pay its debts and officials. As there were no limits or judicial controls on the state congress, the states were quarrelling over a lot of affairs. In addition to the domestic problems, the young nation also had to bear problems brought about by foreign countries. In this chaotic condition, most Americans expected to establish a new government so that their rights and interests could be protected.
