Some Phases of the Economic Policy of the Confederation Congress, 1781-1785

The story of the efforts of the Confederation Congress to direct the steps of the "Babe of the Revolution" during the critical period of its early infancy is somewhat like the story of the mother who knows what the sick child in her arms needs to effect his recovery but is powerless to obtain the remedy. Long before the meeting of the Constitutional Convention in 1787, many leaders in Congress knew that ultimately more power must be given to the central government if the United States were to take its rightful place among the nations of the world.

No attempt is made in this thesis to analyze every phase of the economic policy of the Confederation Congress. This study is confined to the methods used in financing the federal government during the period 1781-1785, to the efforts of Congress to secure a better financial system, and to the establishment of the foundation of the federal land policy.