Warm-Up (11/07) You are in charge of the Folks Middle School growth committee. How will you handle all the new students attending from the houses being built around the school? What should the maximum number of students in a classroom be? When that number is reached do you hire more teachers to make more classrooms? When we fill up all the classrooms should we bring in portable classrooms? What is the maximum number of students we can have at this school before we need to open another school?

Articles of Confederation America’s first try at government

What is a confederation? /kənˌfedəˈrāSH(ə)n/ noun An organization that consists of a number of parties or groups united in an alliance or league. At this time states consider themselves “united in friendship” for each other’s common defense. However each state retains its “sovereignty, freedom, and independence”

Central Gov’t: Strong or Weak?

No national army or navy

Each state has its own money

Congress can enter into treaties with other countries

Each state gets one vote

Congress can not pass taxes

Congress can organize and sell lands in the Northwest Territory

No national court

Each state has its own trading rules

9 out of 13 states required to pass law

No national bank

All 13 states must agree to any change of the Articles.

Congress could make treaties Congress could declare war Strengths Weaknesses Congress could make treaties Congress could declare war Congress could organize and sell land in the Northwest Territory Can’t print money Can’t tax Can’t regulate trade No national bank No national army Takes 9/13 states to pass a law Takes all 13 to amend the Articles Each state gets one vote

So… Under the Articles of Confederation was our national government STRONG or weak?

Why make the national government weak? Colonists were overcompensating for a tyrannical King. Americans did not want to create a strong federal (national) government that might also start abusing its powers. tyr·an·ny /ˈtirənē/ noun A cruel and oppressive government

Northwest Ordinance (1787)

Northwest Ordinance (1787) Provided a way for organized expansion into new areas Set up requirements for territories to become states First attempt to stop the spread of slavery into new states