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1776 -- Declaration of Independence
In the midst of the Revolutionary War, which lasted from 1775 to 1783, delegates to the Continental Congress convened in Philadelphia and on July 4, 1776 adopted the Declaration of Independence. Each of the former colonies also established state governments to replace the colonial charters. The Continental Congress was given the power to carry on the war effort. -
1777 -- Drafting Articles of Confederation
The Continental Congress drafted the Articles of Confederation, which defined the powers of the Congress. Leery of a strong central government, the former colonists created a Confederation or "League of States" that was state-centered rather than nation-centered. -
1781 -- Articles of Confederation
approved by the States. Under the Articles of Confederation legislative, judicial, and executive powers rested with Congress. The Articles of Confederation established a Congress comprised of one representative from each state, it limited the power of the central government, and it delegated to the states the power to levy taxes and regulate commerce. The Confederation Congress was given the power to declare war, make treaties, and maintain an army and navy -
1786 -- Articles of Confederation Reconsidered
Demand for re- examination of the Articles of Confederation was prompted by a post- Revolutionary War economic depression; rebellion in Massachusetts among debt ridden former soldiers, led by Daniel Shays (Shays Rebellion); concerns about the ability of the Confederation to support its currency or meet domestic and foreign debt incurred during the war; issues surrounding westward expansion; and state tariff conflicts. -
1787 -- Drafting a New Constitution.
A Constitutional Convention met in Philadelphia from May until September and drafted a new Constitution. Under the new Constitution the central government, It... in order to form a more perfect union," was given additional powers that included the power to levy taxes and control commerce among states and with foreign countries. In addition, the Convention created three co-equal branches of government -- executive, judicial, and legislative -
1787 & 1788 -- Campaigning for a New Constitution
The Federalist, a series of 85 essays by James Madison, John Jay, and Alexander Hamilton writing under the pen name Publius, was published during this period. The papers provided the philosophical underpinning in support of the new Constitution -
1789 -- Constitution Approved by the States
State ratifying conventions convened and ratified the new Constitution, which required 3/4ths (9) of the states to vote for its approval. -
1789 to 1801 -- The Federalist Period
The period takes its name from the dominant political party of the time, which believed in a strong central government. Its leaders included George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, John Adams. They were opposed by AntiFederalists or Democratic Republicans, such as Thomas Jefferson, who argued against a strong central government and for state centered governance. -
1798 -- The Doctrine of Nullification.
A Federalist-controlled Congress in 1798 passed the Alien 2and Sedition3 Acts in an attempt to silence Jeffersonian Democratic-Republican critics of the undeclared war with France. In response, Democratic-Republican controlled legislatures in Kentucky and Virginia passed resolutions supporting the concept of state-centered federalism and nullifying the Acts as unconstitutional. -
1800s -- Internal Improvement Debate
During this period there was significant debate concerning the role of the national government in the provision of roads and canals as a means of encouraging settlement and aiding commerce