Vangerdahast is a character in the fictional fantasy setting of the Forgotten Realms, and is perhaps the greatest mage to have ever taken up the mantle of Mage Royal. For decades he controlled the Kingdom of Cormyr, in fact if not in title. While the king would fight the wars and sit on the throne, Vangerdahast would keep the court in order and keep control of the various factions who wished to dethrone the King. He was the overall leader of the defenses of Cormyr and only the king could command him. His title of Mage Royal allowed him control over the two main military factions of Cormyr, the knights known as the Purple Dragons and the mages and wizards of the War Wizards. He could also to a large extent control the Harpers who reside in the kingdom. He was trained by Elminster and therefore knows spells and magics far beyond the average wizard.
Elminster's Daughter
In the book Elminster's Daughter, he had retired from being Mage Royal and has retreated into a hidden Sanctum so that he could devise a new ultimate defense for the kingdom (The demise of the previous ultimate defense taking place during the events of the novel "Beyond the High Road"), for he wanted the kingdom to be truly safe long after he had passed away. The only practical solution was to insure that the protection would not be a purely magical defense, (which might draw arcanists eager to learn the Mage Royal's secrets) by the binding of Dragons who would slumber in stasis until they were needed, at which point they could be summoned using key words/phrases and certain gestures using certain objects that only the reigning monarchs and Elminster would know.
When a Song Dragon named Joysil Ambrur found out about the Dragon binding spell being made, she considered it too risky to allow anyone to develop the spell on the off chance that it be stolen and used to enslave the whole of the Dragon race. She confronted Vangerdahast who swiftly defeated her and could have killed her but chose not to since he felt he had done too much killing in his life already. When a rogue War Wizard blasted Vangerdahast with a powerful spell it momentarily shook Vangerdahast, allowing the dragon to break free. Joysil proceeded to ask why the wizard had not slain her and when he explained why her heart softened. But still realizing the risk she chose to flee to gather fully a dozen other dragons to kill the wizard.
At the same time, word had leaked of his experimentation and a Master Red Wizard of Thay named Darkspells had gathered a small army of other Red Wizards and had launched an attack on the kingdom in hopes of distracting the War Wizards and Purple Dragons while he stole the spells of binding. Hearing about Vangerdahast's plan, a group of revolutionaries had launched an assault on the Castle Cormyr and the Royal family in the hopes of slaying them, further adding to the confusion.
When the Dragon host arrived and saw the Red Wizards they realized that those Wizards might be able to figure out the spells and proceeded to eat, burn and crush the Red Wizards who, after losing most of their force, proceeded to run screaming from the battlefield that was Cormyr.
The Dragons then went to Vangerdahast's Sanctum and confronted him, who informed them that he had realized the risk involved in the binding spell and had chained the spells to himself so that when he died the spells and all his notes would be instantly destroyed. Seeing this Joysil told the other dragons to go off and divide her hoard amongst them and that she would take care of the problem. She revealed that she had talked to Vangerdahast's old mentor Elminster and he had a solution. That Vangerdahast become a dragon himself to help defend the realm and then Joysil proceeded to say that she would be his Consort and that they would wait in stasis together. Through Elminster's magic (with the aid of Mystra of course) Vangerdahast was turned into a dragon (unknown type) and the two dragons were bound to the kingdom, awaiting in stasis to be called back to defend the Kingdom of Cormyr.
Elminster's Daughter
In the book Elminster's Daughter, he had retired from being Mage Royal and has retreated into a hidden Sanctum so that he could devise a new ultimate defense for the kingdom (The demise of the previous ultimate defense taking place during the events of the novel "Beyond the High Road"), for he wanted the kingdom to be truly safe long after he had passed away. The only practical solution was to insure that the protection would not be a purely magical defense, (which might draw arcanists eager to learn the Mage Royal's secrets) by the binding of Dragons who would slumber in stasis until they were needed, at which point they could be summoned using key words/phrases and certain gestures using certain objects that only the reigning monarchs and Elminster would know.
When a Song Dragon named Joysil Ambrur found out about the Dragon binding spell being made, she considered it too risky to allow anyone to develop the spell on the off chance that it be stolen and used to enslave the whole of the Dragon race. She confronted Vangerdahast who swiftly defeated her and could have killed her but chose not to since he felt he had done too much killing in his life already. When a rogue War Wizard blasted Vangerdahast with a powerful spell it momentarily shook Vangerdahast, allowing the dragon to break free. Joysil proceeded to ask why the wizard had not slain her and when he explained why her heart softened. But still realizing the risk she chose to flee to gather fully a dozen other dragons to kill the wizard.
At the same time, word had leaked of his experimentation and a Master Red Wizard of Thay named Darkspells had gathered a small army of other Red Wizards and had launched an attack on the kingdom in hopes of distracting the War Wizards and Purple Dragons while he stole the spells of binding. Hearing about Vangerdahast's plan, a group of revolutionaries had launched an assault on the Castle Cormyr and the Royal family in the hopes of slaying them, further adding to the confusion.
When the Dragon host arrived and saw the Red Wizards they realized that those Wizards might be able to figure out the spells and proceeded to eat, burn and crush the Red Wizards who, after losing most of their force, proceeded to run screaming from the battlefield that was Cormyr.
The Dragons then went to Vangerdahast's Sanctum and confronted him, who informed them that he had realized the risk involved in the binding spell and had chained the spells to himself so that when he died the spells and all his notes would be instantly destroyed. Seeing this Joysil told the other dragons to go off and divide her hoard amongst them and that she would take care of the problem. She revealed that she had talked to Vangerdahast's old mentor Elminster and he had a solution. That Vangerdahast become a dragon himself to help defend the realm and then Joysil proceeded to say that she would be his Consort and that they would wait in stasis together. Through Elminster's magic (with the aid of Mystra of course) Vangerdahast was turned into a dragon (unknown type) and the two dragons were bound to the kingdom, awaiting in stasis to be called back to defend the Kingdom of Cormyr.
Arilyn Moonblade is a half-elven assassin from the Forgotten Realms fantasy world, created by author Elaine Cunningham and introduced in the Songs and Swords series of novels.
Appearance
Like most half-elves, her ears are pointed and she has retained her youthful appearance and vitality even into middle age. Her eyes are blue, flecked with gold, and she has a more human build than elvish, though her skin is still quite fair. She has black hair and a hint of blue beneath her skin and generally looks more like an elf rather than a half-elf.
In 3.5 Edition Dungeons & Dragons game terms, Arilyn is rated as a 1st-level rogue/4th-level fighter/5th-level harper agent.
History
Arilyn was raised in the elven city of Evereska, but was never really accepted by the community due to her half-elven nature. When she was fifteen years old, her mother was killed by a pair of common street thugs. From that time on, she carried her mother's sword, a moonblade from which she has adopted her surname. For the next decade or so, she studied swordsmanship under the tutelage of one of the teachers for the academy in the city. Afterwards, when she left, she became an assassin for the Harpers, though she herself did not join the organization until later. She was a Harper for a while, but left them after undertaking a rescue mission for Isabeau Thionne, a noblewoman from Tethyr, whom she considered to be not worth rescuing.
Arilyn's moonblade is a hereditary elven sword, which has many different powers. Perhaps the most notable is that it tries to kill any unsuitable wielder who tries to hold the sword. It has nine different symbols on the blade, each representing a different power given to it by one of the wielders. The moonstone in the hilt enables each successive wielder to grant a power to the sword over a period of time. The different powers include: An abnormally fast swing to the sword, protecting the holder from fire, glowing blue to warn of close danger, silent warnings of danger, dreams warning of danger, projecting illusions to disguise the wielder, a portal between Faerûn and Evermeet known as an elfgate, and the ability to call forth the shadows of those who previously held the sword, or the wielder's own shadow. Arilyn's mark grants the blade the ability to warn her of when the wild elves of the Wealdath have need of a hero's sword by glowing green. She uses the two-handed style of wielding the sword in honor of her deceased mother.
Relationships
Arilyn's mother was Princess Amnestria of Evermeet, and her father Bran Skorlskun, a human ranger. Amnestria's power that was added to the sword was the elfgate, which was judged extremely dangerous should word of it ever escape, so the moonstone was removed from the hilt and replaced with a topaz, and Bran took the moonstone with him, away from Amnestria, who moved to Evereska under the name Z'beryl. As mentioned, Amnestria was killed by a pair of thugs. Bran continued to wander Faerun until in the novel Elfshadow, he returned to Arilyn in the city of Waterdeep, where the moonstone and the moonblade were reunited. He has maintained sporadic contact with her ever since.
Arilyn meanwhile became romantically involved with the noble Danilo Thann, whom she travelled with and later married. Arilyn had kept Danilo at a distance for some time, until she managed to make peace with her past, her elven side and family, and with herself, finally able to accept Danilo's honest affection and love for her. Along the way she had a brief, but passionate, relationship with the wood elf chieftain Foxfire while helping defend his tribe in Tethyr in the novel Silver Shadows.
Arilyn has established links with her family on Evermeet, at first through the young and liberal Prince Lamruil and later with Queen Amlaruil, when Arilyn proved herself by thwarting the machinations of Kymil Nimesin to bring about the end of Moonflower rule on the Island of Elves. Arilyn herself was unexpectedly assisted in this by the ambiguous Waterdhavian crime lord Elaith Craulnober, who is fond of her.
It is in the novel Dream Spheres that Arilyn and Danilo finally formalize their relationship, overcoming their past issues and the opposition of his formidable mother, who disapproves of her son's half elven love, an opposition hinting at secrets in the family.
Appearance
Like most half-elves, her ears are pointed and she has retained her youthful appearance and vitality even into middle age. Her eyes are blue, flecked with gold, and she has a more human build than elvish, though her skin is still quite fair. She has black hair and a hint of blue beneath her skin and generally looks more like an elf rather than a half-elf.
In 3.5 Edition Dungeons & Dragons game terms, Arilyn is rated as a 1st-level rogue/4th-level fighter/5th-level harper agent.
History
Arilyn was raised in the elven city of Evereska, but was never really accepted by the community due to her half-elven nature. When she was fifteen years old, her mother was killed by a pair of common street thugs. From that time on, she carried her mother's sword, a moonblade from which she has adopted her surname. For the next decade or so, she studied swordsmanship under the tutelage of one of the teachers for the academy in the city. Afterwards, when she left, she became an assassin for the Harpers, though she herself did not join the organization until later. She was a Harper for a while, but left them after undertaking a rescue mission for Isabeau Thionne, a noblewoman from Tethyr, whom she considered to be not worth rescuing.
Arilyn's moonblade is a hereditary elven sword, which has many different powers. Perhaps the most notable is that it tries to kill any unsuitable wielder who tries to hold the sword. It has nine different symbols on the blade, each representing a different power given to it by one of the wielders. The moonstone in the hilt enables each successive wielder to grant a power to the sword over a period of time. The different powers include: An abnormally fast swing to the sword, protecting the holder from fire, glowing blue to warn of close danger, silent warnings of danger, dreams warning of danger, projecting illusions to disguise the wielder, a portal between Faerûn and Evermeet known as an elfgate, and the ability to call forth the shadows of those who previously held the sword, or the wielder's own shadow. Arilyn's mark grants the blade the ability to warn her of when the wild elves of the Wealdath have need of a hero's sword by glowing green. She uses the two-handed style of wielding the sword in honor of her deceased mother.
Relationships
Arilyn's mother was Princess Amnestria of Evermeet, and her father Bran Skorlskun, a human ranger. Amnestria's power that was added to the sword was the elfgate, which was judged extremely dangerous should word of it ever escape, so the moonstone was removed from the hilt and replaced with a topaz, and Bran took the moonstone with him, away from Amnestria, who moved to Evereska under the name Z'beryl. As mentioned, Amnestria was killed by a pair of thugs. Bran continued to wander Faerun until in the novel Elfshadow, he returned to Arilyn in the city of Waterdeep, where the moonstone and the moonblade were reunited. He has maintained sporadic contact with her ever since.
Arilyn meanwhile became romantically involved with the noble Danilo Thann, whom she travelled with and later married. Arilyn had kept Danilo at a distance for some time, until she managed to make peace with her past, her elven side and family, and with herself, finally able to accept Danilo's honest affection and love for her. Along the way she had a brief, but passionate, relationship with the wood elf chieftain Foxfire while helping defend his tribe in Tethyr in the novel Silver Shadows.
Arilyn has established links with her family on Evermeet, at first through the young and liberal Prince Lamruil and later with Queen Amlaruil, when Arilyn proved herself by thwarting the machinations of Kymil Nimesin to bring about the end of Moonflower rule on the Island of Elves. Arilyn herself was unexpectedly assisted in this by the ambiguous Waterdhavian crime lord Elaith Craulnober, who is fond of her.
It is in the novel Dream Spheres that Arilyn and Danilo finally formalize their relationship, overcoming their past issues and the opposition of his formidable mother, who disapproves of her son's half elven love, an opposition hinting at secrets in the family.
No 4th Wall to Break is a webcomic that was originally written and drawn by Chris Whetstone. The name of the comic comes from the saying "breaking the fourth wall", which refers to a character in a piece of artwork who directly acknowledges the audience.
Although the technique of breaking the 4th wall is a common attribute of webcomics, No 4th Wall to Break took the idea one step further. In this comic, there is no fourth wall; reality and the pseudo-reality of the web-comic are blended seamlessly. The comic exists in a strange formless yellow limbo in which there exists no real cause and effect; there is continuity, but it often makes strange leaps.
No 4th Wall to Break was a comic characterized by a playfully bizarre style. Whetstone's humour was based on placing his characters in random, unrelated circumstances. The comic had a minimalist style, which often played into visual gags.
No 4th Wall to Break was first published on May 21 2002. With some interruptions, Whetstone published two comics per week until October 15 2006. The comic's art style was cartoon-minimalist, and many of the characters were stick figures or stylized abstractions of creatures and objects. One character, for example, was a triangle.
The art evolved over the life of the comic. Originally, Whetstone drew the comic by hand on what appeared to be Post-it notes. It was scanned in and edited to add text. However, Whetstone and co-creator Jamie McGarry (see "The Creative Team" below) later drew the entire comic with the aid of computer programs. Two features remain from the early days, however. The comic always appears with a yellow background (with few exceptions), and each character always speaks in a different font.
The Creative Team
As Whetstone was having difficulty updating the site on a regular basis, a British "guest artist" named Jamie McGarry was introduced on May 31 2005. Whetstone said that McGarry would be "taking over the art side of things for a little while". This addition to the creative team followed a period marked by an abnormally high concentration of guest comics on the site while Whetstone was unable to update.
McGarry is the artist and writer of a webcomic named Built for Comfort.
The Hiatus
On October 15, 2006, Whetstone put the comic on hiatus, since
he found it difficult to continue updating on a regular basis, and
also was running low on ideas. On July 22nd, 2007 the comic restarted.
The Characters
Otto T. Specter
A spectre who for no discernible reason dwelled within the yellow limbo. Despite already being technically dead, Otto had died and returned to life previously in the comic, lending to its surrealism. Otto worked for the internet, however has not done so since early in the comic.
Lit Match
Was introduced to the comic quite early on and was featured in most. He was brash and a little arrogant.
Chris "Me" Whetstone
The author of the comic appeared in most of his creations as part of the fourth wall breakery. He used to have a "Me ->" label, but was later dropped after he became recognizable. He was the least detailed "character", as he appeared as a stick figure in the strip (though he did show some real photos of himself).
Bert the Petulant Triangle
An angry triangle. Spendt most of his time antagonising the minor characters and beating up Malefax. He was killed shortly after he was introduced, but came back to life along with Otto and Hitler. Since his introduction in August 2003, Bert had since become one of No 4th Wall to Break's most popular characters.
Odin
The Norse god had made several appearances in the comic until the December 17 2004 story, when he made up his mind to depart. Though he declared he might appear in the future for a cameo, this may not be possible since the comic is now on hiatus. He is a skilled guitar player.
Los Mosquitos
A group of mosquitos that are apparently Mexican. They do not speak English, and, since the other characters don't speak Spanish, most of what they say is "¿Qué?" and the ubiquitous "Furia de Los Mosquitos!". Los Mosquitos spent most of their time attacking Chris and trying to suck his blood. They were one of the winners of the "Create a new character" competition held in 2003.
Malefax
Supposedly a supreme evil being, Malefax was in fact a child-like floating, bat-like blob. Malefax was the other winner of the "Create a new character" competition.
Quote Guy
A person who only said famous movie quotes/catchphrases. Originally from the Repository of Dangerous Things, when the author of that site stopped, she auctioned off her more popular items, and Chris Whetstone received Quote Guy.
Walt
An anarchist with nice hair and freaked-out eyes. He remained dead after randomly sinking right near the start.
Bucket of Ice Water
A bucket of ice water. Appeared occasionally as Lit Match's nemesis. This was possibly because s/he was in love with Lit Match, but recognised that union was impossible and that her/his feelings were unrequited, thus leading to destructive yet cold rage, like some sort of evil wet samurai. In February 2004 Bucket of Ice Water was killed by Bert.
Hitler
Hitler was first introduced into the comic when Otto died, and was taken into purgatory. In order to escape purgatory and become "alive" again, two other dead had to travel with him, and Hitler and Bert the Petulant Triangle were chosen (much to Otto's dismay). He worked in what he believes to be a comedy club, the "Laughter House with an S at the front".
Jamie McGarry
Jamie McGarry was the newest character in No 4th Wall to Break. He looked like Chris Whetstone except he has a pair of brown spectacles and often spoke in Britishisms. His contribution to the strip usually consisted of berating the author for a lack of scripts.
Although the technique of breaking the 4th wall is a common attribute of webcomics, No 4th Wall to Break took the idea one step further. In this comic, there is no fourth wall; reality and the pseudo-reality of the web-comic are blended seamlessly. The comic exists in a strange formless yellow limbo in which there exists no real cause and effect; there is continuity, but it often makes strange leaps.
No 4th Wall to Break was a comic characterized by a playfully bizarre style. Whetstone's humour was based on placing his characters in random, unrelated circumstances. The comic had a minimalist style, which often played into visual gags.
No 4th Wall to Break was first published on May 21 2002. With some interruptions, Whetstone published two comics per week until October 15 2006. The comic's art style was cartoon-minimalist, and many of the characters were stick figures or stylized abstractions of creatures and objects. One character, for example, was a triangle.
The art evolved over the life of the comic. Originally, Whetstone drew the comic by hand on what appeared to be Post-it notes. It was scanned in and edited to add text. However, Whetstone and co-creator Jamie McGarry (see "The Creative Team" below) later drew the entire comic with the aid of computer programs. Two features remain from the early days, however. The comic always appears with a yellow background (with few exceptions), and each character always speaks in a different font.
The Creative Team
As Whetstone was having difficulty updating the site on a regular basis, a British "guest artist" named Jamie McGarry was introduced on May 31 2005. Whetstone said that McGarry would be "taking over the art side of things for a little while". This addition to the creative team followed a period marked by an abnormally high concentration of guest comics on the site while Whetstone was unable to update.
McGarry is the artist and writer of a webcomic named Built for Comfort.
The Hiatus
On October 15, 2006, Whetstone put the comic on hiatus, since
he found it difficult to continue updating on a regular basis, and
also was running low on ideas. On July 22nd, 2007 the comic restarted.
The Characters
Otto T. Specter
A spectre who for no discernible reason dwelled within the yellow limbo. Despite already being technically dead, Otto had died and returned to life previously in the comic, lending to its surrealism. Otto worked for the internet, however has not done so since early in the comic.
Lit Match
Was introduced to the comic quite early on and was featured in most. He was brash and a little arrogant.
Chris "Me" Whetstone
The author of the comic appeared in most of his creations as part of the fourth wall breakery. He used to have a "Me ->" label, but was later dropped after he became recognizable. He was the least detailed "character", as he appeared as a stick figure in the strip (though he did show some real photos of himself).
Bert the Petulant Triangle
An angry triangle. Spendt most of his time antagonising the minor characters and beating up Malefax. He was killed shortly after he was introduced, but came back to life along with Otto and Hitler. Since his introduction in August 2003, Bert had since become one of No 4th Wall to Break's most popular characters.
Odin
The Norse god had made several appearances in the comic until the December 17 2004 story, when he made up his mind to depart. Though he declared he might appear in the future for a cameo, this may not be possible since the comic is now on hiatus. He is a skilled guitar player.
Los Mosquitos
A group of mosquitos that are apparently Mexican. They do not speak English, and, since the other characters don't speak Spanish, most of what they say is "¿Qué?" and the ubiquitous "Furia de Los Mosquitos!". Los Mosquitos spent most of their time attacking Chris and trying to suck his blood. They were one of the winners of the "Create a new character" competition held in 2003.
Malefax
Supposedly a supreme evil being, Malefax was in fact a child-like floating, bat-like blob. Malefax was the other winner of the "Create a new character" competition.
Quote Guy
A person who only said famous movie quotes/catchphrases. Originally from the Repository of Dangerous Things, when the author of that site stopped, she auctioned off her more popular items, and Chris Whetstone received Quote Guy.
Walt
An anarchist with nice hair and freaked-out eyes. He remained dead after randomly sinking right near the start.
Bucket of Ice Water
A bucket of ice water. Appeared occasionally as Lit Match's nemesis. This was possibly because s/he was in love with Lit Match, but recognised that union was impossible and that her/his feelings were unrequited, thus leading to destructive yet cold rage, like some sort of evil wet samurai. In February 2004 Bucket of Ice Water was killed by Bert.
Hitler
Hitler was first introduced into the comic when Otto died, and was taken into purgatory. In order to escape purgatory and become "alive" again, two other dead had to travel with him, and Hitler and Bert the Petulant Triangle were chosen (much to Otto's dismay). He worked in what he believes to be a comedy club, the "Laughter House with an S at the front".
Jamie McGarry
Jamie McGarry was the newest character in No 4th Wall to Break. He looked like Chris Whetstone except he has a pair of brown spectacles and often spoke in Britishisms. His contribution to the strip usually consisted of berating the author for a lack of scripts.
The Articles of Confederation were written in 1777. They formed a type of government called a loose confederation. This called for a very weak federal government and stronger states. The people wanted this at the time because they had just finished with the British fiasco. They didn't want taxes or commerce regulation. The Articles created a Congress that was the supreme power. It could make laws, but not enforce them well. Eventually, the people tired of this weak federal government and met to alter it. Instead, the delegates 55 delegates from all 13 states decided to throw out the old constitution and create an entirely new one. This is called the Constitution.
Problems with the Articles of Confederation
The government had several weaknesses. First, it was unable to tax the states to make up for the humungous war debt. Instead, congress could only ask for a quota from each state each year. It was virtually impossible for the Articles to be amended; the amendments would have to be accepted unanimously in congress. Also, in congress, each state had one vote. The most populated state, New York, would have the same say as the least populated state.
With a weak central government, many problems arose. The most noteworthy of which is Shay's Rebellion. In 1786, a group of farmers, led by Daniel Shay, were upset at the loss of their land. It was being taken by the government because the farmers couldn't afford to pay off their state taxes. They demanded cheap paper money, lighter taxes, and suspension of property takeovers.
Although the central government couldn't tax, the states could. States could write and enforce navigation and tax laws. These are the taxes that the Shaysites were mad about.
Strengths of the Articles of Confederation
The government created under the articles was precisely what the people of the time wanted: a weak federal government and strong state governments. Congress did have it in their power to wage war if necessary, although they never did use this power under the Articles. Even though foriegn relations with Britain were extremely bad, congress could negotiate and make treaties with foriegn countries.The power to coin money was also given to the federal government.
The biggest power listed in congress was the ability to resolve western issues. Through the Land Ordinance of 1785, the acreage of the Old Northwest was sold and the profits were used to pay off war debts. The land was broken up into chunks 6 miles by 6 miles. There were 36 equal sections in each chunk and the 16th sector was always designated for education. Also, in the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, the governing of the Old Northwest was hit on. There were two evolutionary steps to becoming a state that were included in the Ordinance. The first was to be subordinate to the federal government. Next, when a territory had 60,000 inhabitants, it may be admitted as a state. These two acts are very useful even today. Almost every road runs either north and south or east to west. The blocks of roads are either 1/2 square mile or 1 square mile.
Extras
Harshboogle - a term used in the times of the Articles of Confederation. Its meaning - to insist that you are correct; to argue pointless terms
:Origin - a term that has been passed down through the ages
Harshburglar - terrorized the towns of New York City, Pennsylvania, and Jamestown with his insane arguments
Problems with the Articles of Confederation
The government had several weaknesses. First, it was unable to tax the states to make up for the humungous war debt. Instead, congress could only ask for a quota from each state each year. It was virtually impossible for the Articles to be amended; the amendments would have to be accepted unanimously in congress. Also, in congress, each state had one vote. The most populated state, New York, would have the same say as the least populated state.
With a weak central government, many problems arose. The most noteworthy of which is Shay's Rebellion. In 1786, a group of farmers, led by Daniel Shay, were upset at the loss of their land. It was being taken by the government because the farmers couldn't afford to pay off their state taxes. They demanded cheap paper money, lighter taxes, and suspension of property takeovers.
Although the central government couldn't tax, the states could. States could write and enforce navigation and tax laws. These are the taxes that the Shaysites were mad about.
Strengths of the Articles of Confederation
The government created under the articles was precisely what the people of the time wanted: a weak federal government and strong state governments. Congress did have it in their power to wage war if necessary, although they never did use this power under the Articles. Even though foriegn relations with Britain were extremely bad, congress could negotiate and make treaties with foriegn countries.The power to coin money was also given to the federal government.
The biggest power listed in congress was the ability to resolve western issues. Through the Land Ordinance of 1785, the acreage of the Old Northwest was sold and the profits were used to pay off war debts. The land was broken up into chunks 6 miles by 6 miles. There were 36 equal sections in each chunk and the 16th sector was always designated for education. Also, in the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, the governing of the Old Northwest was hit on. There were two evolutionary steps to becoming a state that were included in the Ordinance. The first was to be subordinate to the federal government. Next, when a territory had 60,000 inhabitants, it may be admitted as a state. These two acts are very useful even today. Almost every road runs either north and south or east to west. The blocks of roads are either 1/2 square mile or 1 square mile.
Extras
Harshboogle - a term used in the times of the Articles of Confederation. Its meaning - to insist that you are correct; to argue pointless terms
:Origin - a term that has been passed down through the ages
Harshburglar - terrorized the towns of New York City, Pennsylvania, and Jamestown with his insane arguments