“The British Ministry... will never treat with us, until they see we have a power to make treaties, which shall be binding on all the states. They think, and not without reason, that if they make a treaty with Congress, it may be broken by any of the thirteen states at pleasure.”
—John Adams, U.S. Minister to Great Britain, letter to Secretary of Foreign Affairs John Jay, August 1785
Which of the following problems under the Articles of Confederation is most directly reflected in the excerpt?
- AThe partisan conflict between Federalists and Democratic-Republicans over trade alliances with European powers.
- BThe debate over the establishment of a national judiciary to arbitrate disputes between states and foreign merchants.
- The inability of the national government to compel states to comply with foreign agreements.Cevap
- DThe economic collapse resulting from the national government levying high tariffs on imported British manufactured goods.
Cevap
The inability of the national government to compel states to comply with foreign agreements.
The correct answer is correct because the national government under the Articles of Confederation lacked the executive power and judiciary to enforce federal laws or treaties. Consequently, individual states routinely ignored international agreements (such as paying pre-war debts to British merchants as required by the 1783 Treaty of Paris), which severely weakened United States diplomacy and credibility abroad.
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Anahtar Kavram
The structural weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation in conducting foreign policy and enforcing treaties.
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