Unit 4: A New Nation - Articles of Confederation

Bell Ringer: What do you think will be the next steps for the colonies now that they have their independence from Great Britain? What all do they need to setup and create… we have 13 colonies but need to do something with them....

Articles of Confederation After breaking from Great Britain’s rule, what type of government are the colonies going to have? State constitutions established governments in each of the 13 colonies (almost 13 independent countries) bill of rights: freedoms the government can not take away separation of powers: legislative, executive, judicial

Articles of Confederation confederation: a union of political units for common action Articles of Confederation: original federal constitution drafted by the Continental Congress in 1777, ratified in 1781 considered “a firm league of friendship”

Articles of Confederation Who has the most power? THE STATES Why? Afraid of a tyrannical government taking away their rights Will this provide for a strong, effective government?

Articles of Confederation Weaknesses of the Articles: $$$ - the federal gov’t could not levy taxes had to request from the states (unreliable) can not pay war debt could not regulate interstate commerce each state determining own trade policy

Articles of Confederation Weaknesses of the Articles: structural issues no president = no leadership Unicameral Congress (one house) each state, no matter the size, had one vote amending the Articles required unanimous (everyone fully in agreement) approval, making it nearly impossible

Articles of Confederation Land Ordinance of 1785 law which designed a system for managing and settling lands in the Northwest Territory

Articles of Confederation Northwest Ordinance (1787) law which provided a basis for governing the Northwest Territory set up 5 new states! territories could become states after they reached a certain population PROHIBITED SLAVERY

Articles of Confederation Economic Crisis in 1780s war had disrupted the economy states had debt from funding the revolution

Articles of Confederation Shays’ Rebellion in western Massachusetts many farms seized and farmers put in jail for not paying debts many of these were Revolutionary war veterans including Daniel Shays led an armed uprising against state gov’t in Boston

Articles of Confederation Why is Shays’ Rebellion important? demonstrates weaknesses of Articles of Confederation which leads to the creation of the Constitution cause effect economic issues constitutional convention! Shays’ Rebellion

Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation

Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation Station Activity There are 9 stations you will rotate from around the room. Each station is a weakness of the Articles of Confederation. At each station you will write down why this is a weakness and what problems could come from this feature. You will have 2 minutes at each station. https://www.online-stopwatch.com/rocket-timer/?nslen=2

Visual 1: No Chief Executive Why Included? Problem? States feared that a strong central leader would result in an abuse of power (tyranny).   This could result in a lack of leadership from federal government. There was a lack of central leadership for the nation. DISUNITY!

Visual 2: Laws needed 9/13 to be approved Why Included? Problem? New states wanted to protect their power. They feared that a strong central government could lead to abuse of power.   States and citizens feared that they would be forced to pay for things without their consent.

Visual 3: The legislative branch (Congress) did not have the power to tax citizens. It could only request tax money from the states. Why Included? Problem? States and citizens feared that they would be forced to pay for things without their consent.   States could choose not to pay taxes. This could result in the federal government not having the funds to operate effectively or protect.

Visual 4: The legislative branch did not have the power to draft an army. It could only request states to send men for military services. Why Included? Problem? States feared that a central government with a strong army that might take away citizens’ rights.   It could result in a lack of protection for the nation.

Visual 5: There was no federal court system. Why Included? Problem?   Why Included? Problem? States feared that a court system might be unfair, overlooking individual states’ rights   There would be no legal authority unifying the states. Laws could be different from state to state.

Visual 6: Any amendments (changes) to the Articles had to be approved by all 13 states. Why Included? Problem? States wanted to be ensured that they had an equal voice in the lawmaking process.   It could be difficult to get a unanimous decision on anything, making the amendment process difficult.

Visual 7: The legislative branch did not have the power to collect state debts owed to the national government.   Why Included? Problem? States feared a strong central government could force states to pay for things they didn’t want.   States did not pay their debts. Federal government had no money to operate.

Visual 8: The legislative branch did not have the power to settle disputes among states. Why Included? Problem? States did not want to have a national authority telling them what to do.   Disagreements among states could not be resolved. This created disunity among states.

Visual 9: Shays’s Rebellion Use a an excerpt from the text that best summarizes the result of Shays’s rebellion: “In May 1787, leaders called for a convention to revise the Articles of Confederation. Representatives from each state would meet in Philadelphia. This meeting would become known as Constitutional Convention.”

Exit Ticket: Which feature of the Articles of Confederation do you believe was the biggest problem/weakness? And why? https://youtu.be/lBWs9LpCg8I