The Articles of ConfederationHow strong should the central government

be?

Forming a government during the war…

•State Governments• In 1776, the Continental

Congress asked the colonies to organize their own governments (thus becoming states)• Each state wrote its

own constitution• These constitutions

limited the power of the government

•National Government• Because of their experience

with the British government, Americans wanted a national government which was very limited• They believed each state

should act independently on most issues and govern themselves• National government would

handle some limited issues

US territory (not yet states)

Original 13 states of the Unites States of America

State Government

National Government

Discussion: Who should have more power – states or the national government?

National Government

• In 1776, the 2nd Continental Congress appointed a committee to write a plan for a national government• After much debate, the Congress adopted the nation’s first national government constitution: the Articles of Confederation• These articles were known as a “firm league of friendship” between the states

Discuss: How are these similar?

Articles of Confederation

Power of Governme

nt

Create and maintain

armed forces

Create currency

Conduct Foreign Affairs

- Declare war- treaties with

other countries

Borrow Money

Articles of Confederation

• States hesitated to ratify the plan of government until issues over land claims were solved• States ceded (gave)

territory to the national government

Articles of Confederation 1781-1788

• Accomplishments• Government successfully waged a

war for independence against the British

• Signed treaty of alliance with France 1778

• Negotiated peace treaty with Britain

• Policies for western lands

• Expanded trade

Articles of Confederation 1781-1788

•Weaknesses• All 13 states had to agree to any

amendments, making it nearly impossible to correct problems

• National government was given no power to raise money by collecting taxes

• National government could not force states to follow its laws or policies

• National government had no control over foreign trade

Articles of Confederation 1781-1788Weaknesses:• No power to raise

funds for an army or navy• No power to tax,

impose tariffs, or collect duties• No executive branch

to enforce laws• No power to control

trade among the states• No power to force

states to honor obligations• No power to regulate

the value of currency

Strengths:• Declare war and

make peace• Make treaties with

foreign countries• Establish an army and

navy• Appoint military

officials (Wash.)• Create, print, and

borrow money• Establish weights and

measures• Hear disputes among

states related to trade or borders

Discussion: Decide which weaknesses would have posed the greatest problems for the country. Put the weaknesses in order from most problematic (1) to least (6) .

Policies for Western Lands

• The Articles of Confederation created an organized system for settling land west of the Appalachian Mountains

Northwest Territory Ordinance 1785

• Divided the Northwest Territory into townships• Govt would then sell

each section of the township at public auction for at least $1 per acre• Each section was 640

acres

• Create your own town• Plan out what buildings/parks/? you will have in each square•Name your town• Any interesting laws?

Northwest Territory Ordinance 1787

•Outlined the process for admitting a new state into the Union•Once a territory had a population of 60,000, that region could apply to become a state

• Included a bill of rights for settlers of the region• Freedom of religion and trial by jury

•Outlawed slavery in the Northwest Territory

Articles of Confederation 1781-1788

Weaknesses:• No power to raise funds

for an army or navy• No power to tax, impose

tariffs, or collect duties• No executive branch to

enforce laws• No power to control trade

among the states• No power to force states

to honor obligations• No power to regulate the

value of currency

Articles of Confederation 1781-1788

• “Critical Period”• Economic Depression• By 1781, the national currency

(“continentals”) had greatly depreciated in value• National government owed

money to foreign nations and soldiers from the Revolutionary War – could not raise money through taxes• Govt tried to create a tax on

imported goods, but 1 state voted “no”• Farmers struggled to sell their

goods, so they could not pay for their lands

Articles of Confederation 1781-1788• “Critical Period”•Shay’s Rebellion• Economic troubles hit farmers hard• Farmers could not pay their state

taxes or debts on land• State officials began to seize

farmers’ lands • 1786-1787 – Angry farmers in

Massachusetts led by Daniel Shays rebelled against their government• They marched to seize a federal

arsenal, state militia soldiers shot four farmers• If the rebellion had spread, there

was no national army to fight it

Articles of Confederation 1781-1788

• “Critical Period”•Result• The economic depression and Shays Rebellion made Americans turn against the Articles of Confederation

• They knew they needed to create a stronger national government which could bring economic stability and national security

• Summary of Articles of Confederation:The Articles of Confederation created a

government which was too weak to deal with national issues.