Obstacles blocking the path to a republic: economic problems, social tensions and inter-state disputes, the issue of slavery
After independence, the thirteen states faced serious problems that threatened to tear the new nation apart. Debt, inequality, rivalry between states, and the unresolved injustice of slavery all made building a stable republic extremely difficult.
Real World
Shays' Rebellion (1786–87), in which debt-ridden Massachusetts farmers took up arms against state courts seizing their land, alarmed political leaders nationwide and became a direct catalyst for the Constitutional Convention of 1787.
Exam Focus
Prioritise linking obstacles to each other — economic crisis worsened social tension, which sharpened inter-state disputes — to demonstrate analytical rather than descriptive thinking.
Essay Framework
Use PEEL to structure every paragraph. Tap each step for guidance and an example.
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