American Revolution:

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Describe the challenges the United States faced in the years between the end of the American Revolution and 1800 as it struggled to become a successful and independent nation. Explain how the new nation overcame these obstacles. Explain which problems it was unable to resolve. You will need to explain the issues of creating a workable form of government, overcoming political differences, creating economic and social stability, and facing threats from other nations

During the end of the American Revolution, there was a lot of uncertainty as the country lacked a centralised form of government and did not even have a president. The states would operate independently and there were clear differences in terms of currency used, the terms of trade and there were different armies for different states. At the moment there was an executive committee set up and composed of thirteen members from each state. The executive was meant to run the country but their power and authority was restricted by the article of confederation (Bonwick, 1991). The executive could not pay back the huge loan that the country had because there were restrictions on accepting money, man power and army from the different states. This was clearly outlined in the Article of confederation.

In order to solve these problems a constitution was written and it comprised of well detailed role of people in a new government and the state. There was the establishment of the office of the president (Aptheker, 1960). Three arms of the government were formed and they were the legislature that was responsible for amending laws, the executive that comprised of the president and the cabinet, and the judiciary which was to implement the laws formed. There was also the establishment of two houses, the houses of representatives made up of governors and the house of senate made up of senators. This led to a more centralised power and authority that made it easier to run the country.

Centralization of power and the establishment of the two houses brought unity to all the states and created a more stable country that could be easily managed (Aptheker, 1960). Politics were now at the national level and decisions about the economy were made at the national level. This led to use of the same currency, the dollar in all states and uniform terms and laws of trade.

Some of the problems that were not solved then were the bill of rights; this is because some of the African American still remained slaves even after the constitution stated that every American is free to be what they want, racism was far from over (Bonwick, 1991). This is what led to the war between the south and the north states under the presidency of Abraham Lincoln. The other problem was the mistreatment of the Red Indians who were the initial occupants of the country. This was more severe in Texas where they were kicked out and their land was taken.

References

Bonwick Collin, (1991), The American Revolution, Springer Publishers, Oklahoma

Aptheker Albert, (1960), The American Revolution, 1763-1783: a History of the American People, Pauline’s Publishers.