The Articles of Confederation Ch. 5 Section 1

Review Causes of Revolutionary War Declaration of Independence Common Sense, The American Crisis Treaty of Paris 1783

The Articles of Confederation 1st plan of government Created by the Continental Congress Govern a loose union of the states under the authority of a Congress Confederation Congress Meet once a year Each state would select a delegation to send to the capital city

The New Government Articles of Confederation – weak plan that had many flaws… Weak central govt. Confederation Congress performed all govt. jobs (no separation of power, 1 branch) Congress could… Declare war, raise armies, sign treaties Congress could not… Tax the states, regulate trade, enforce states to follow treaty agreements made by the country Difficult to amend (change) There had to be a unanimous vote to change them

Organizing the West To raise $, Congress sold land west of the Appalachian Mountains Land Ordinance of 1785- created method for surveying & dividing land Townships 6 miles square Each township=36 equal sections

Governing the West Northwest Ordinance- explained how new territory would be governed Area needs 60,000 people to apply for statehood No slavery in the Northwest Territory People living in the territory were guaranteed certain rights such as… Freedom of religion, property rights, and the right to trial by a jury

Economic Crisis US in a recession – economic slowdown States and country in debt b/c of the war Farmers borrowing too much money States issue paper money – not backed by gold or silver People don’t trust the money  inflation Inflation – decline in the value of money Paying debts with this money does not equal the debt owed (lenders get mad)

Shays’s Rebellion Uprising by farmers in Massachusetts after the state raised taxes Hurt farmers who couldn’t pay taxes & mortgages on farms Farms were being taken to pay debts Led by Daniel Shays 1,200 farmers attacked arsenal to get weapons  march to Boston Militia opened fire and stopped the farmers Four farmers died

The Last Straw Shays’s Rebellion was the last straw for the Articles of Confederation The rebellion not successful but… It led many to see that a stronger central govt. was needed to protect the country Called on the Confederation Congress to correct defects to the current govt.