Good Afternoon! On your way in, grab a blank sheet of paper Draw a line across the center on one side, leave the other side blank On the blank side of the paper, create a “Mind Map” of what you know about where our government came from, and how it was formed.

The New Government is Born How did the Articles of Confederation reflect the challenges in designing a new government?

What is republicanism? Republicanism –representative democracy, govern by consent of people Colonies were reluctant to unite under a strong central government Each state had their own constitutions that reflected fear of a centralized government Republic – government in which citizens rule through elected representatives Many different state governments wanted to put republicanism into practice, but weren’t quite sure how (no political systems to serve as precedents)

Continental Congress Debates 3 basic questions: Representation power western lands

Representation by population or by state? 1 state = 1 vote

Supreme power: can it be divided Supreme power: can it be divided? – national and state governments share power Confederation = alliance

Western lands: who gets them? Land Ordinance of 1785 – plan for surveying & dividing western lands

Northwest Ordinance of 1787 – procedure for dividing the land into territories No less than 3 & no more than 5 new states slavery was prohibited Become a state once population reached 60,000 under an approved constitution Set the precedent for U.S. expansion westward

The Articles of Confederation New Government The Articles of Confederation

Articles of Confederation Weaknesses Congress could not collect taxes or regulate interstate trade 1 state = 1 vote Two-thirds majority (9 out of 13 states) to pass laws No changes/amendments to Articles without consent of every state No executive branch No national court system to settle state disputes Lack of national unity Dependent on states to contribute militia Sovereignty resides in states Articles of Confederation National govt powers Declare war Make peace Sign treaties Borrow $ Postal service (mail) Deal with Native Americans

The weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation left questions about the effectiveness of the U.S. federal government

Shays’ Rebellion Farmer’s were war heroes, broke, and angry → protests because they didn’t want to lose farms Jan. 1787 – Daniel Shays led a mob to close the courts, in order to stop taxes (resulted in a riot) Feared rebellion would spread and put down by Massachusetts militia Signal that there were problems with the new government Call for a convention to discuss what to do

New Government THE CONSTITUTION

Quick Review: Put these events in chronological order onto a “working timeline.” - Continental Congress calls for a committee to draw up a plan for government -Declaration of Independence is signed -King George III declares the colonies in rebellion -Articles of Confederation ratified by the states -Articles of Confederation approved by Continental Congress

Activity: Read through the Articles of Confederation: http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/artconf.asp In each box be sure to include Quotes from the Articles Which article contained the quote

Conclusion: On the last portion of your blank sheet, answer the following: Overall, would you consider the Articles of Confederation a success or a failure? Why? What were some of the articles successes? Failures?