Why did America need a system for adding states to the Union? To organize and develop the western lands acquired by the United States after the Revolutionary War.

How did the Congress solve the problem of adding states? Northwest Ordinance of 1785: The land was divided into six-mile squares called townships Each township was then divided into 36 sections of 640 acres each One section of each square was set aside for a public school Other sections were sold to settlers

How would new territories be governed? Northwest Ordinance of 1787 This law divided the Northwest Territory into smaller territories each governed by a territorial governor. As soon as a territory had 5000 free white males it elected its own lawmaking body. When the population reached 60,000, they applied for statehood Land had a Bill of Rights – Trial by jury, Freedom Religion

What did the Northwest Ordinance say about slavery?: Slavery was banned

Explain the purpose of the Land Act of 1800. To make it easier for people to buy land in the territory. People were allowed to pay for land a little at a time. The buyer could pay half of the money at the time of purchase and the rest in four year payments.

Explain how else the new government was weak. Money that the Continental Congress printed during the war did hold its value. The price of food and other goods soared which led to food riots. The government still owed Revolutionary soldiers pay but the Continental Congress could not force the states to pay. A tax was proposed to help pay down debt but Rhode Island said no which blocked the effort.

Explain how else the new government was weak. British troops still occupied forts in the Great Lakes region Britain claimed that Americans had agreed to pay loyalists and they did not British were blocking Americans from the West Indies Spain controlled Florida as well as lands west of the Mississippi River and they wanted to stop explansion into its territory so it closed the lower Mississippi to American shipping

Daniel Shays’s Rebellion Economic troubles hit farmers hard Could not pay their taxes and debt state officials seized their lands and throwing them in jail.

Shays’s Rebellion Daniel Shays along with 1200 farmers forced courts to close. The goal was to stop judges from taking their lands In January 1787, Shays led a force of 1200 supporters toward the federal arsenal The state militia ordered them to halt The militia fired killing 4

Results of Shays’s Rebellion Shays’s rebellion frightened Americans Concern grew that the government under the Articles of Confederation could not handle unrest and prevent violence. National government had no authority and what if this happened again.

Constitional Convention Why: To fix the Articles of Confederation When: May 25, 1787 Where: Philadelphia Pennsylvania State House today known as Independence Hall. How many delegates attended: 55 delegates: planters, merchants, lawyers, physicians, generals, governors, Who was the oldest: Benjamin Franklin at 80 Father of the Constitution: James Madison Who did they choose as their leader: George Washington Why was Convention closed to public: Rule of secrecy, delegates wanted to be able to speak freely without causing alarm among the public.