A New American Society Essay

After the Americans gained independence from Britain in 1783 in the revolution. The colonies began to change their economic, social and political system, and began to write their new constitution that lead to the override of the Articles of Confederation in 1781. The major change the Americans accomplished was the separation from the monarchy. Thomas Paine said â€Å"the nearer any government approaches to a republic the less business there is for a king.† (Common Sense 1776) During the process of a new central government, states became independent with their own central government. However, this would give the central government less power over the 13 states. Another huge change in the colonies was the separation from the church. A preacher stated that under British rule that there was a â€Å"Moral obligation, imposed on the world, to answer the purposes of ambitious usurps.† (Lorenzo Dow pg.197) This would later lead to outpouring religious enthusiasm in the colonies and the Great Awakening. An economic issue was that only the states could impose taxes in the states and congress could only request funds to pay off debt. Another factor was that the government did not have a stable money currency in the colonies, which made it difficult to barter or trade with other states. The Northern part of the colonies focused more in manufacturing and the South depended on agricultural needs. Jefferson believed in more of an agricultural economy â€Å"our exterior commerce has suffered very much from the beginning†¦ we have manufactured†¦those who labor in the earth are the chosen people of God† (Notes on the state of the Virginia pg. 170). On the other hand, Hamilton believed in trading manufactured goods with Britain and believed in a society of manufacturing. The weak Articles of confederation lead to a new constitution in the colonies. The articles of confederation were ratified in the constitutional convention of 1781 in Philadelphia. Reasons it was considered â€Å"weak† was the lack of checks and balances, government could not impose taxes, and central government was weak and the lack of personal rights of the colonists. â€Å"Make the following declarations, of our humble opinions, respecting the most essential rights and liberties of the colonists†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Declaration of rights pg. 124). James Madison was one of the founding fathers of the new constitution, because of his federalist papers.