New Jersey and the Constitution
LONG aware of the necessity of strengthening the central government, New Jersey acted wholly in character in supporting the movement for a revision of the Articles of Confederation. The state had repeatedly evidenced its intense dissatisfaction with the Confederation and had as often indicated its willingness to grant important powers to Congress. Only through changes in the existing system could it hope to obtain the redress of the financial and commercial grievances of which it complained and to which it attributed a large share of its economic difficulties. One influential segment of the population had an additional reason for desiring a reconstituted union. This was the group that had become convinced'as a result of the recent experiences with papermoney and debtor laws that the rule of the majority, if not somehow checked, would destroy all property rights and lead to "democratical license." What was wanted, therefore, was the imposition of external restraints upon the unlimited powers of the state government. Finally, there was the widespread belief that unless the states devised some means of ordering their general affairs, a promising experiment in re-
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