Download PDF We Have Not a Government The Articles of Confederation and the Road to the Constitution George William Van Cleve 9780226641522 Books
Download As PDF : We Have Not a Government The Articles of Confederation and the Road to the Constitution George William Van Cleve 9780226641522 Books
In 1783, as the Revolutionary War came to a close, Alexander Hamilton resigned in disgust from the Continental Congress after it refused to consider a fundamental reform of the Articles of Confederation. Just four years later, that same government collapsed, and Congress grudgingly agreed to support the 1787 Philadelphia Constitutional Convention, which altered the Articles beyond recognition. What occurred during this remarkably brief interval to cause the Confederation to lose public confidence and inspire Americans to replace it with a dramatically more flexible and powerful government? We Have Not a Government is the story of this contentious moment in American history.
In George William Van Cleve’s book, we encounter a sharply divided America. The Confederation faced massive war debts with virtually no authority to compel its members to pay them. It experienced punishing trade restrictions and strong resistance to American territorial expansion from powerful European governments. Bitter sectional divisions that deadlocked the Continental Congress arose from exploding western settlement. And a deep, long-lasting recession led to sharp controversies and social unrest across the country amid roiling debates over greatly increased taxes, debt relief, and paper money. Van Cleve shows how these remarkable stresses transformed the Confederation into a stalemate government and eventually led previously conflicting states, sections, and interest groups to advocate for a union powerful enough to govern a continental empire.
Touching on the stories of a wide-ranging cast of characters—including John Adams, Patrick Henry, Daniel Shays, George Washington, and Thayendanegea—Van Cleve makes clear that it was the Confederation’s failures that created a political crisis and led to the 1787 Constitution. Clearly argued and superbly written, We Have Not a Government is a must-read history of this crucial period in our nation’s early life.
In George William Van Cleve’s book, we encounter a sharply divided America. The Confederation faced massive war debts with virtually no authority to compel its members to pay them. It experienced punishing trade restrictions and strong resistance to American territorial expansion from powerful European governments. Bitter sectional divisions that deadlocked the Continental Congress arose from exploding western settlement. And a deep, long-lasting recession led to sharp controversies and social unrest across the country amid roiling debates over greatly increased taxes, debt relief, and paper money. Van Cleve shows how these remarkable stresses transformed the Confederation into a stalemate government and eventually led previously conflicting states, sections, and interest groups to advocate for a union powerful enough to govern a continental empire.
Touching on the stories of a wide-ranging cast of characters—including John Adams, Patrick Henry, Daniel Shays, George Washington, and Thayendanegea—Van Cleve makes clear that it was the Confederation’s failures that created a political crisis and led to the 1787 Constitution. Clearly argued and superbly written, We Have Not a Government is a must-read history of this crucial period in our nation’s early life.
Download PDF We Have Not a Government The Articles of Confederation and the Road to the Constitution George William Van Cleve 9780226641522 Books
"Interesting, well-researched book discussing the "Confederation" period between the end of the Revolutionary War and the Constitutional Convention of 1787. The book provides compelling evidence that the Constitution was not merely an effort by wealthy elites to protect their status and property against "leveling" influences but, instead, was a pragmatic response to the multiple defects of the Articles of Confederation (e.g., inability to pay Revolutionary War domestic and foreign debts and maintain public credit, inability to resolve interstate and sectional conflicts, inability to protect or govern western settlers, inability to deal with British and Spanish intrigues). An excellent book describing this perilous period of American history."
Product details
|
Tags : We Have Not a Government The Articles of Confederation and the Road to the Constitution [George William Van Cleve] on . <DIV>In 1783, as the Revolutionary War came to a close, Alexander Hamilton resigned in disgust from the Continental Congress after it refused to consider a fundamental reform of the Articles of Confederation. Just four years later,George William Van Cleve,We Have Not a Government The Articles of Confederation and the Road to the Constitution,University of Chicago Press,022664152X,Articles of Confederation; federalism; nationalism; sovereignty; sectional conflicts; crisis; paper money; Philadelphia Convention; Constitution; stalemate government,Articles of Confederation;federalism;nationalism;sovereignty;sectional conflicts;crisis;paper money;Philadelphia Convention;Constitution;stalemate government,General Adult,HISTORY / United States / Revolutionary Period (1775-1800),History,History/American,Law/Constitutional,Non-Fiction,POLITICAL SCIENCE / History Theory,POLITICAL THEORY,Political Science/Constitutions,Political Science/History Theory - General,U.S. HISTORY - REVOLUTION AND CONFEDERATION (1775-1789),UNIVERSITY PRESS,United States
We Have Not a Government The Articles of Confederation and the Road to the Constitution George William Van Cleve 9780226641522 Books Reviews :
We Have Not a Government The Articles of Confederation and the Road to the Constitution George William Van Cleve 9780226641522 Books Reviews
- Interesting, well-researched book discussing the "Confederation" period between the end of the Revolutionary War and the Constitutional Convention of 1787. The book provides compelling evidence that the Constitution was not merely an effort by wealthy elites to protect their status and property against "leveling" influences but, instead, was a pragmatic response to the multiple defects of the Articles of Confederation (e.g., inability to pay Revolutionary War domestic and foreign debts and maintain public credit, inability to resolve interstate and sectional conflicts, inability to protect or govern western settlers, inability to deal with British and Spanish intrigues). An excellent book describing this perilous period of American history.
- Very true but dry and not quite what I was looking for. There wasn't much on how the Articles of Confederation were ratified.
- The complete Articles as originally written - and interpreted. A perfect resource for my Civics students.
- This is a great book that goes over that period between the end of the revolution and the beginning of the federal government. Why did we make this change? How bad was our confederacy? These were questions I always wondered about and now I know.
The book is dry but engaging. It is laid out in easy to follow sections. I have no complaints and highly recommend it.
