ABSTRACT
Following the American Revolution, the Thirteen Colonies were loosely bound by the Articles of Confederation (1781) under which each “retains its sovereignty, freedom, and independence,” established “a firm league of friendship with each other, for their common defense, the security of their liberties, and their mutual and general welfare.”1 Under these circumstances, the former colonies were prey to disunion and foreign dangers, and were hobbled by an inability to take united and decisive action. As a result, the Constitutional Convention convened on May 25, 1787, at the State House (now Independence Hall) in Philadelphia, where it proceeded to ignore the requirement for unanimity in amending the Articles of Confederation and drafted a constitution filled with compromises that established the sovereign state of the United States (see Figure 2.1). As befit the representative of a sovereign state, the new government, like older European governments, was given authority to establish
an army and navy, and conduct foreign affairs with other sovereign states. “A firm Union,” wrote Alexander Hamilton in Federalist Paper No. 9, “will be of the utmost moment to the peace and liberty of the States, as a barrier against domestic faction and insurrection.”2
