When the American war for independence ended, no one was happier, or more worried, about the future of the United States than a serious Virginia Patriot named James Madison.  While serving in Congress during the war, Madison had tried and failed to get the states to work easily together, and he doubted that things would improve now that the war was over.

After declaring independence in 1776, Congress tried to unite the states under one national government.  However, most members were nervous about creating a strong central government and feared that it would trample the very rights they were fighting to preserve.

Their solution was a plan of government known as the Articles of Confederation.  The Articles created “a firm league of friendship” in which “each state retains its sovereignty, freedom, and independence. ”  This “league of friendship” was a loose union in which the 13 states cooperated for common purposes. It was run by Congress, in which each state had one vote.

On paper, the Articles of Confederation gave Congress several important powers.  It could declare war, raise an army and a navy, print money, and set up a postal system.

In reality, however, these powers were limited by the inability of Congress to impose taxes.  Congress had to ask the states for funds to do anything, and all too often, the states ignored Congress's “humble requests. ”  The result, said Madison, was that the Articles were no more effective at binding the states into a nation than “a rope of sand.”

In this lesson, you will read about the new nation's shaky start under the Articles of Confederation.  You will also learn how Madison and other leaders met in 1787 to revise the Articles and ended up compromising to form “a more perfect Union. ”