Journal Article 1: Cain, M. J. G., & Dougherty, K. L. (1999). Suppressing Shays’ rebellion: Collective action and constitutional design under the articles of confederation. Journal of Theoretical Politics, 11, 233–260.

This article discuss the inherent flaws in the Articles of Confederation, most importantly how the American states systematically failed to pay their requisitions to the national government. In order to illustrate this the authors analyze Shay’s Rebellion and find that the articles failed to prevent free riding among states, which contributed to the conflict of the union, and prevented Congress from accomplishing its tasks.

***

Article 2: Zink, J. R. (2013). James Wilson versus the bill of rights: Progress, popular sovereignty, and the idea of the U.S. Constitution, 67, 253–264.

This article discusses the Bill of Rights controversial inclusion in the U.S. Constitution. In order to understand the controversies of the Bill of Rights and the complexity and diversity of the American founding era, the author research’s James Wilson, a statesman of the era and chief opponent of the Bill of Rights.

***

Article 3: Dougherty, K., & Moeller, J. (2012). Constitutional change and American pivotal politics. American Political Research, 40, 1092–1120.

This article discusses the transition from the Articles of Confederation to the U.S. Constitution and how it affected gridlock. The authors find that the U.S. Constitution decreased gridlock, but also made policy more responsive to the issue of gridlock.