Articles of Confederation

After the Revolution… America had declared its independence from Great Britain Needed to form a some sort of government to oversee the war effort Came up with the Articles of Confederation

The Articles Submitted to the states for ratification in 1777 Ratified 4 years later State Sovereignty States stronger that national govt. Why would they make the states more powerful than the central government?

A Limited Government Articles established a “firm league of friendship” among the states Bills passed with 9 out of 13 vote That’s over 67%, or 2/3, or a supermajority Amending (or adding amendments) to a unanimous vote How might this back fire?

Structure of Government

Structure of Government One legislative body (unilateral) Each state given one vote Smaller states concerned with being out voted due to size, especially regarding claims western lands Congress given sole authority to govern the country Turned into more of an advisory body rather than an authority Could establish temporary courts to hear disputes between states

So what could Congress do? Declare war and make peace Make treaties with foreign countries Appoint high-ranking military officials

So what could Congress do? Requisition, print, and borrow money Establish weights and measures Hear disputes among the states related to trade or boundaries

What couldn’t they do? 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

What couldn’t Congress do? No power to control trade among the states No power to force states to honor obligations No power to regulate the value of currency

What good came from the Articles? Held the states together in a time of war Negotiated the Treaty of Paris of 1783 with Britain British out of North America Gained the land covering Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, and part of Minnesota. This doubled the Nation’s size! Established the Northwest Ordinance 1787 One of the most important things that came out of the Articles, established a process for bringing new states into the Union Even provided a bill of rights, something that the Articles and the original Constitution lacked

Challenging the Articles Shay’s Rebellion (1786-1787) Massachusetts vets of the Revolution weren’t getting paid Congress could raise the money (no taxes) Courts were going to foreclose on their farms Daniel Shay lead the farmers in a rebellion Took over the courts so they couldn’t reposes the farms Due to the weakness of the national government, the rebellion was very successful

Shay’s rebellion http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/weaknesses-of-the-articles-of-confederation-and-shays-rebellion.html#lesson

A need to change Shay’s rebellion illustrated the need to reorganize the national government Leads to the constitutional convention as the founding fathers went back to the drawing board