"An Election of Government"

By the late 1770s, in fact, Americans became increasingly concerned about the instability of the new state governments they had created. Legislative chambers were the scene of constant squabbling. Governors could not exercise sufficient power to provide effective leadership. It was, in short, proving extraordinarily difficult for the new state governments to accomplish anything at all.

Many believed that the problems originated in a excess of democracy. By placing so much power in the hands of the people and their elected representatives the state constitutions seemed to invite political turbulence and social disorder. As a result, state legislatures began revising their constitutions to cope with what statesmen came to identify as the problem of democracy--a problem that continued to haunt Americans as they gathered in Philadelphia to form a new national government.

Want To Know More? Just exactly what does your state constitution say? How does it compare to others? What is the history of your state constitution? To find out more visit the Legal Information Institute's Constitutions, Statutes and Codes to find out about your state constitution. Or try Full-Text state statutes to learn more. Also check out the excellent resource FirstGov.gov, the official U.S. government page to state agencies and governments for information.

Next Time: The Articles of Confederation was one of the first steps to defining the new national government. Join Ignatz and me when we take a look at what the Articles were and their importance to American government.

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