Articles of Confederation

The self interests of states and individuals were also a result from the Articles. An example of individual greed can be seen when John Jay tried to create a treaty with Great Britain that would have paid off the war debt but would not have helped merchants. John Jay had his own agenda and the benefit of his state was not of matter (Doc. D). Because of self interests of states and individuals, the unity of the nation disappeared. Each state attempted to cede land for its own from other states and made for the constant redrawing of national boundaries (Doc. E). Because of this, the most important power that Congress had was the right to obtain territory and control the development of the western territories. For the large territory lying between the Great Lakes and the Ohio River, congress passed an ordinance that set the rules for creating new states known as the Northwest Ordinance of 1787. The reason for the decline of unity was the lack of an effective national court system and a quality leader. Without a national court system, laws that kept the nation secure could not be made or enforced. Also, there was a lack of order created by the people looking anywhere for an effective leader. The problem was finally resolved after the Articles were ended with the addition of the presidency of George Washington, but until then, such revolts such as Shay’s Rebellion and Bacon’s Rebellion were evident.

Congress could also