Following the Revolutionary War, many tribulations arose in the newly independent thirteen colonies. Problems such as disunity, slavery, foreign/interstate relations, land disputes, and national debt led to the formation of the Articles of Confederation in 1777. America's first constitution, however, only lasted ten years until fifty-five delegates met in Philadelphia with the same common purpose: to preserve the American union, protect the American democracy from abroad, and curb the unrestrained social reformation rampant in other states.
America's newly established independence awakened many privileges, as well as restrictions. Not only did Britain still refuse to repeal the Navigation Laws; goods formerly imported from England were cut off, forcing Americans to make their own. American industry was difficult, since British citizens flooded the country with cheap goods right after the war, continuing their chain of trading posts on the U.S. soil. …
