An Economic Analysis of the 1st Nationalist Movement of 1783

Abstract

There is a strong tradition of both: (1) considering the Articles of Confederation a dead-end in U.S. constitutional development, and (2) examining the economic motivation behind the drafting and ratification of the U.S. Constitution. The constitutional movement, however, was not the first attempt at a stronger central government. This paper first overviews the 1783 drive to strengthen the Articles of Confederation that very nearly succeeded. Had this movement succeeded, the impetus for the drafting of the Constitution would have been significantly reduced. In short, the failure of the 1783 “1st nationalist movement” was not destined to happen, but is a critical turning point in U.S. constitutional history. After overviewing the importance of this turning point in history, this paper investigates the economic and geographic interests behind the “first nationalist movement.” A nationalist sentiment voting index is constructed for each delegate to the Articles of Confederation Congress. This index is regressed on state and delegate characteristics. Not surprisingly, nationalists tend to be from populous states and states less dependent on foreign trade. Being a military veteran is also associated with nationalist leanings. There are some surprises, however. State debts appear to play little role in nationalist sentiment and prior service in state government is positively correlated with nationalism. Finally, resulting measures of each delegate’s nationalist sentiment are examined.