Articles of Confederation and Shay’s Rebellion

Objectives Today we will be able to answer the question, “How did Americans react to Shay’s Rebellion”?

Why were the Articles of Confederation so weak? AoC writers disliked… So under the AoC… Taxation without representation The federal government could not tax A large central government that had absolute power States didn’t have to follow federal laws and treaties Having to follow British legislation States had their own laws and didn’t have to follow other states’ laws Lots of power was in the king’s hands No executive branch or national court system The king could change laws at any time Any amendment required all 13 states’ approval

What was the Problem? Since the federal government could not tax, it was very difficult to raise money Since states didn’t have to follow laws and treaties, the federal government had no assurance that individual states would follow them Each state had its own laws, which made it difficult for the country to act in a united way. Congress couldn’t pay back debts from the revolution and couldn’t get states to work together to encourage commerce.

What was the Problem? Since there was no executive branch, the government could not defend its borders. Since there was no executive branch and national court system, the government could not enforce its laws Any amendment required all 13 states’ approval, so the AoC was very difficult to modify

Textbook Excerpt Questions What happened in Shay’s Rebellion? How is it connected to the Articles of Confederation? According to the excerpt, how did Americans respond?

Discussion Questions What are the pros and cons of a strong central government? Why might Jefferson oppose having a strong central government? Why would the idea of poor farmers rebelling be scary to many of the people at the Constitutional Convention?

Discussion Questions Do you agree with Jefferson’s assertion about the “tree of liberty”? How does this letter challenge or expand the textbook excerpt’s account? Why might many texbooks make it seem like everyone wanted a strong central government after Shay’s Rebellion?