-What would happen without an organized government of any kind?

What were the colonists most afraid of in forming a new government?

REPUBLIC – a government in which the people chose representatives to govern them

In 1776 the Continental Congress passed a plan for a national government – THE ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION

The national government would be run by a Continental Congress

All the states approved the Articles of Confederation in 1781 and it became the official government

What was the mindset of the states when they created the Articles? What did small states fear? What did ALL fear?

Strengths of Articles National Government has limited powers Can receive ambassadors & embassies Each state has own court system National Government can enter into treaties Border disputes settled by National Govt. Set up Post office

The national government could wage war, make peace, sign treaties, and issue money

The Articles of Confederation left most of the power to the states

The Articles did negotiate a peace with England after the war and set up a plan to organize the Northwestern Territory

The Articles created a very weak national government and had many weaknesses

Weaknesses of Articles There are 8 of them! List them in ANY order!

1) National govt. lacked power to enforce laws

2) Lacked the power to levy taxes

3) Could not regulate trade between the states

4) All 13 states had to vote yes to change the Articles

5.No military 6.No President

7. No national court system 8. No national control over trade with other countries

Weaknesses-Matrix Activity With your partner, analyze the picture: –Describe the “weakness” in your picture –Why it was included? - Possible Problems

One feature of the Articles of Confederation was that the government had no chief executive, such as a president or a king. As a result, the government under the Articles suffered from a lack of leadership since there was no single leader

DescriptionWhy was it included? Possible Problems A The government has no single leader. They lacked government leadership. People were fearful of having one leader. They didn’t want another tyrant king! A lack in leadership will lead to poor organization. Nothing will get done! Chaos!!!

The Articles of Confederation become a temporary solution