THE CONFEDERATION PERIOD

the-new-nation-a-history-of-the-united-states-during .

A book review is found at https://journals.psu.edu/pmhb/article/view/30818/30573 :

The New Nation. A History of the United States during the Confederation,

1781-1789. By Merrill Jensen. (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1950.

xviii, 434, xi p. Essay on sources, index. $5.00.)

Lying in the historical shadows cast by two of the most dramatic and

significant events in American history—the Revolution and the formation

of the Federal government—the era of the Confederation has too long

remained obscure and neglected.

With this volume we have for the first time a reasonably comprehensive

account of the Confederation in all its major aspects, soundly based on an

impressive range of sources. Rich in pertinent detail and at the same time

positive in its evaluations, The New Nation quite demolishes many ancient

misconceptions, establishes important new generalizations, and raises chal-

lenging questions for scholars of the future. Jensen finds his central theme in the constitutional debate over the character of the central government that so engrossed and divided leading men of the time. Taking their stand on the Articles, which were largely

their creation, were the "Federalists." On the opposite side, favoring a

central government possessed of extensive sovereign powers, were the

"Nationalists." Included in both camps were men of similar economic,

geographic, and social backgrounds, but for a variety of individual reasons

they differed in their attitudes on the great constitutional issue. With the

exception of the closing years of the war, the Federalists were dominant in

Congress. The Nationalists, however, were constantly at work, both on the

state and national level, seeking fundamental changes in the nature of the

union. Eventually they were to triumph, and the Federal Constitution was

to replace the Articles.

While the constitutional debate raged, the new nation demonstrated

remarkable vitality, both spiritually and economically. It was a time of

strong cultural stirrings in literature, religion, and education. Humanitarian

impulses were quickened. The minds of men were stimulated by the pros-

pects of the future.

Although the war was followed by a severe depression, economic recovery

was remarkably rapid, especially in trade and manufacturing. "There is

nothing in the knowable facts to support the ancient myth of idle ships,

stagnant commerce, and bankrupt merchants in the new nation" (p. 218).

The exact status of the agrarian masses is more difficult to ascertain, but

there is evidence that distress was localized rather than general.

Such problems as those relating to demobilized veterans, loyalists, debts,

trade regulation, and money were vigorously attacked on the state level;

and the achievements, objectively assessed, were far from inconsiderable.

"Trade barriers" were all but nonexistent; the state acts were "strikingly

effective and are a partial explanation of the rapid growth of American

commerce after the Revolution" (p. 300). Even in the monetary field, where

so much scorn has been heaped on the time-tested devices utilized by the

states,

the need for revision of traditional judgments is clearly evident.

The Confederation period is not to be regarded as a skeleton in our

national closet; it will stand full scrutiny. This is the burden of Jensen's

argument. Yet the fact that his book at times assumes too much the char-

acter of an argument will properly tend to make scholars wary of accepting

fully his positive conclusions. Because

The New Nation

is "revisionist/' it

should provoke controversy and the further research that is still needed on

many topics.

Rutgers University RICHARD P. MCCORMICK

The USA’s first constitution (which was illegally abandoned) was the Articles of Confederation:

Articles Of Conferderation - Lessons - Tes Teach

The Articles are a league and covenant of the States of the Christian Anglo-American patriot people (the nation for which they were entered), looking to God as the one who providentially brought them into effect, as the words of the Articles themselves convey:

“…the Delegates of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, did, on the 15th day of November, in the Year of Our Lord One thousand Seven Hundred and Seventy seven, and in the Second Year of the Independence of America, agree to certain articles of Confederation and perpetual Union…The said states hereby severally enter into a firm league of friendship with each other, for their common defence, the security of their Liberties, and their mutual and general welfare, binding themselves to assist each other… to make requisitions from each state for its quota, in proportion to the number of white inhabitants in such state…the Articles of this confederation shall be inviolably observed by every state, and the union shall be perpetual; nor shall any alteration at any time hereafter be made in any of them; unless such alteration be agreed to in a congress of the united states, and be afterwards confirmed by the legislatures of every state…it hath pleased the Great Governor of the World to incline the hearts of the legislatures we respectively represent in congress, to approve of, and to authorize us to ratify the said articles of confederation and perpetual union…”

It is quite evident that the centralized US Federal Government is on course to turn us into a complete modern Babel- a “global nation” empire where wickedness is normalized and mandated and liberty is curtailed.

The Goal of our Cause is to restore the confederated USA of Anglo-American Patriot States, under the Articles of Confederation (America’s first constitution that was unadvisedly and illegally abandoned), with the Continental Colors flag as the symbol of our enterprise. Important to this cause is to partition out of the USA those liberal “blue” areas in a sea of “red” areas that remain part of the USA, such as illustrated here:

Liberal Democrats hate the historic USA and do not want to be part of it except to the extent they can get money out of it.

The USA was founded as a Confederation of Anglo-American Patriot States, not as a “global nation” empire. This Cause seeks to return America to its historic identity, an identity described in historian Dr. Samuel P. Huntington’s book Who Are We? The Challenges to America’s National Identity.

Method: create a network of Committees of Correspondence of Anglo-American patriots in every State of the USA. Each State Committee will in turn elect a State Council/Assembly, which can then send delegates to a restored Continental Congress under the Articles of Confederation.

Time to Form Committee Network and Restore Continental Congress: Now!!!

Time When the State Committees and Continental Congress can Replace the current Federal System of Government: during the likely coming major financial collapse (due to ever increasing debt) and fall of the Federal System. The current Federal System is economically, politically and morally bankrupt, and hence highly unstable. It is amassing more and more debt, making it subject to a coming financial collapse which will make the collapse of 2008 look tame in comparison. It has become more and more of a socialist police state over a “global nation” increasingly difficult to manage, especially in a coming time of financial collapse. Hostile foreign competitors like China and Russia (working with rogue states like North Korea and Iran) are gathering strength and positioning themselves to bring down the US Federal government as well, while the Federal System is over-extended with military outposts around the world. Federal efforts to maintain abortion, mandate “gay marriage”, promote the “LGBT” agenda, curtail gun rights, etc., at a time of rising suicide rates, an opioid crisis, and declining birthrates, are evidence of moral bankruptcy. All combined, there are good reasons to believe the Federal System will fall, with the alternative Confederated System waiting in the wings to replace it.

Website Discussion Groups: https://usa.life/ArticlesOfConfederation and https://www.facebook.com/groups/ReturnToArticlesOfConfederation

Index of Articles related to this Cause: http://www.puritans.net/articles/indexarticlesconfederation.htm .