****In addition to the pdf files attached in the Reading section also read "The Creation of the American Republic" by Gordon S. Wood pages 354-363

****In addition to the pdf files attached in the Reading section also read "The Creation of the American Republic" by Gordon S. Wood pages 354-363 (section titled Articles of Confederation) and pages 463-467 (section titled The Abandonment of the States).  

Sovereignty is defined as ultimate power or authority.  Few issues created--and continue to create--as much attention as the debate over where sovereignty should be vested in our government structures.  The Reading material and thread/discussion for Week 3 will analyze the power/sovereignty of the Articles of Confederation and the state governments.  This analysis will show a failure to allocate power in a way that provided the most productive means of achieving the purpose of government and will provide insight into the construction of the U.S. Constitution on the horizon not long after the initial writing of our Reading selections.

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Wood writes in his text that the Articles of Confederation was a government structure that “few believed…in any theoretical sense contravened th[e] sovereignty” of the individual states. (Wood, p. 354-355)  In reading the excerpt Articles of Confederation attached in our Readings section, find language in the document that supports Wood’s theory that the Articles of Confederation vested power and authority to the states instead of the national government (often called “Congress” in the document).  How is the shape of this government similar/dissimilar to the shape of government we have today?

Also according to Wood, why weren't the state governments adequate enough to handle the needs of the American people?  Why, by 1786-1787, was there a shift “in favor of government that actuated us in favor of liberty in the years 1774 and 1775?” (Wood, p. 466)

What are the primary concerns raised by Alexander Hamilton in his messages to Clinton (1778) and Duane (1780)?  What is the lesson that “experience has taught us” according to George Washington in his letter to John Jay (1786)?  What are the suggestions by these ‘letter writers’ to resolve the problems they are observing?  How could the issues/concerns raised in these letters be a forerunner to the issues/concerns addressed at the convention that creates the U.S. Constitution in 1787?  Are these still issues/concerns about government today?

https://ncc.sln.suny.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-1263145-dt-content-rid-3455939_1/courses/47737.201740/Articles%20of%20Confederation%281%29-3.pdf

https://ncc.sln.suny.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-1263145-dt-content-rid-3455967_1/courses/47737.201740/Reading%201a%281%29.pdf

Running head: topical questions 1 Title: topical questionsStudent NameInstitution NameCourse Name Additionally as indicated by Wood, why weren't the state governments sufficientlysatisfactory...