American History

AMERICAN HISTORY
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Introduction
In the 1786 letter by Henry Knox to George Washington, the Secretary of War stated that after the war, "Our political machine constituted of thirteen independent sovereignties, have been perpetually operating against each other, and against the federal head, ever since the peace." He establishes an admittance of the fact that the union is under the threat of being destabilized by the long drawn differences that have been in existence, if not only solved within the stipulated times as well as with consensus amongst involved parties (Zinn, 2010).
Intention of Letter
Henry Knox further explains to the President that: "The powers of Congress are totally inadequate to preserve the balance between the respective States, and oblige them to do those things which are essential for their own welfare or for the general good. The frame of mind in the local legislatures seems to be exerted to prevent the federal constitution from having any good effect. The machine works inversely to the public good in all its parts: not only is State against State, and all against the federal head, but the States within themselves possess the name only without having the essential concomitant of government, the power of preserving the peace, the protection of the liberty and property of the citizens." (Zinn, 2010)
In the above quoted statement Knox is of the assertion that the federal government is within the mandate to solidify control of the states through actions that will aim at regaining the trust of the people regardless of the manner in which the people of the union already perceive the federal. This meant that in whichever way the federal decisions would go then the most important component of the decision making progress must be all-inclusive and must at all times reflective of all the wishes of the people within the union. The adoption of the constitution of the United States had guaranteed the freedom of association of among the member states and this should have been observed. Even then, federal government’s wishes ought to be observed.
The Rift among States
The rift among states that have been identified by Knox had been occasioned by several factors key among them the drive for self-governance. He states in the le...