Ratification of the U.S. Constitution
The Philadelphia Convention proposed a Constitution, but it could not make that Constitution law by itself. Article VII specified the authorizing rule: conventions in nine states had to ratify before the new framework could take effect among the ratifying states. A convention was a body of delegates chosen for the particular decision, not the ordinary […]
Why the Articles of Confederation Failed
Revenue exposed the Confederation’s central implementation problem. Congress could determine national expenses and assign each state’s share under the formula in Article VIII, but state legislatures laid and collected the taxes. National officials could not impose a general federal tax directly on individuals. A requisition was therefore a lawful demand within the Confederation system, not […]
