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Originally Posted by joepole
If there were no states creating the Federal government, then
1. Why did the framers refer to the nation as "The United States"
2. Why was the Constitutional Convention begun by saying "...a Convention of delegates who shall have been appointed by the several States be held at Philadelphia..." ?
3. If not states, what entities did the Articles of Confederation unite?
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1, 2, and 3. The definition of states changed. They were states as the members of the European Union are states (ie France, Germany, Austria, etc). These states were held together loosely under the Articles of Confederation. Their major threat was England and the states had a better chance if they banded together. After the Revolutionary War, the states recognized a need for a stronger central authority. When the Articles of Confederation were replaced by the Constitution, the states ceased to exist as sovereign states like Germany or France, and became what we know today as "states" in the United States. Geographical regions whose populations are ruled by a local governing body, whose authority is granted by a Constitution shared by all states of that nation.
It seems I was too vague in my previous explanation. Does this help?
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collecti...l/intro01.html
{...and I'm a guy}