Following the Revolutionary War, many tribulations arose in the newly independent thirteen colonies. Problems such as disunity, slavery, foreign/interstate relations, land disputes, and national debt led to the formation of the Articles of Confederation in 1777. America's first constitution, however, only lasted ten years until fifty-five delegates met in Philadelphia with the same common purpose: to preserve the American union, protect the American democracy from abroad, and curb the unrestrained social reformation rampant in other states.
America's newly established independence awakened many privileges, as well as restrictions. Not only did Britain still refuse to repeal the Navigation Laws; goods formerly imported from England were cut off, forcing Americans to make their own. American industry was difficult, since British citizens flooded the country with cheap goods right after the war, continuing their chain of trading posts on the U.S. soil. But since America became independent, they had the opportunity to trade with foreign countries "any nation they wanted to! The list of possible nations ran short, for not many countries were willing to trade with the unpopular Americans. Spain, still resentful for losing the French and Indian War, closed the Mississippi River to American commerce. The Spanish colonists even claimed a large area near the Gulf of Mexico, ignorant to the fact that the area was ceded to the U.S. by Britain. Both Spain and England, while encouraging Native American tribes to be restless, prevented the U.S. from controlling even half of its territory. The French even demanded the repayment of money loaned during the war, regardless of their past-alliance with America. Congress was unable to control foreign commerce nonetheless, and national debt was mounting as foreign credibility was slipping. Boundary disputes began erupting into small battles once states started to tax goods from other states.