<Tr> <Td> Arthur St. Clair </Td> <Td> 09! February 2, 1787--November 4, 1787 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Cyrus Griffin </Td> <Td> 10! January 22, 1788--November 15, 1788 </Td> </Tr> <P> The peace treaty left the United States independent and at peace but with an unsettled governmental structure . The Articles envisioned a permanent confederation, but granted to the Congress--the only federal institution--little power to finance itself or to ensure that its resolutions were enforced . There was no president, no executive agencies, no judiciary and no tax base . The absence of a tax base meant that there was no way to pay off state and national debts from the war years except by requesting money from the states, which seldom arrived . Although historians generally agree that the Articles were too weak to hold the fast - growing nation together, they do give credit to the settlement of the western issue, as the states voluntarily turned over their lands to national control . </P> <P> By 1783, with the end of the British blockade, the new nation was regaining its prosperity . However, trade opportunities were restricted by the mercantilism of the British and French empires . The ports of the British West Indies were closed to all staple products which were not carried in British ships . France and Spain established similar policies . Simultaneously, new manufacturers faced sharp competition from British products which were suddenly available again . Political unrest in several states and efforts by debtors to use popular government to erase their debts increased the anxiety of the political and economic elites which had led the Revolution . The apparent inability of the Congress to redeem the public obligations (debts) incurred during the war, or to become a forum for productive cooperation among the states to encourage commerce and economic development, only aggravated a gloomy situation . In 1786--87, Shays' Rebellion, an uprising of dissidents in western Massachusetts against the state court system, threatened the stability of state government . </P>

President of the united states under the articles of confederation
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