Adopted in 1781 as America's first constitution, the Articles of Confederation soon proved inadequate for governing the young nation. By 1787, the United States was in crisis. The states, officially united in a loose association of state governments, had ever worsening relations with each other. Each state issued its own currency, and then all the states bickered about the value of their currency within other states. States taxed each other on goods brought across their borders from other states. Attempting to gain economic advantages over...