 Once the immediate task of winning the American Revolutionary War had passed , the states began to look to their own interests , and disputes arose . These included a dispute between Maryland and Virginia over the Potomac River and opposition to Rhode Island 's imposing taxes on all traffic passing through it on the post road that linked all the states . James Madison suggested that state governments should appoint commissioners " to take into consideration the trade of the United States ; to examine the relative situation and trade of said states ; to consider how far a uniform system in their commercial regulations may be necessary to their common interests and permanent harmony " . 
