They were constantly going against each other instead of being unified. "The practice of many States in restricting the commercial intercourse with other states, and putting their productions and manufactures on the same footing with those of foreign nations is certainly adverse to the spirit of the Union" (James Madison, Vices of the Political System of the United States). This was just one problem though. After the war, England reduced trade with the US, and Spain blocked access to the Mississippi River. These being the two major forms of trade for the US, it hurt the states dramatically. The weaknesses of the Articles affected the states in a way that they could not operate efficiently as one nation. .
The weaknesses of the Articles soon became obvious to everyone. In May 1787, all colonies except Rhode Island sent delegates to the second meeting in Philadelphia. The delegates completely threw out the Articles and wrote a new government. Forming this new document to govern the United States was a long and hard process. It involved some of the most elite men in the states (Picture of Benjamin Franklin). The delegates worked from two different plans to form the government, the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan. They eventually used the plan called "The Great Compromise." This plan kept the structure of the previously proposed Virginia Plan, but changed the way representation would be determined. This new document was called simply The Constitution. One of the biggest arguments of the government was the way the states would be represented in the congress. "That the number of representatives are too few" (Cato). The Constitution set up a three part government. The three parts were executive, legislative, and judicial. Some colonists didn't like this because they felt as if one part would overpower the others. "For as Congress have the control over both, they may govern the choice, by ordering the representatives of a whole state, to be elected in one place, and that too may be the most inconvenient" (Centinel).
