US History Students Please take out your writing assignment that is due TOMORROW and your PEEL writing sheet

Articles of Confederation 1776-1789

Articles of Confederation- The first written constitution of the U.S.

Strengths Successfully established a U.S. gov’t after the revolution. U.S. could make treaties, declare war, & receive ambassadors. Emphasis on states’ power avoided tyranny. Admit new states

Northwest Ordinance of 1787 Northwest Land Ordinance of 1785 Designed to create towns Designed to create states

Weaknesses Too little national power. No executive officer to carry out laws of congress. No national courts. Congress could not tax. No national currency. No national defense. 9 out of 13 states required to ratify laws. Unanimous to pass an amendment No standing Army

Take a look at the weaknesses now and tell me why you think the new Government would have allowed for so many shortcomings

Shay’s Rebellion (1786 – 87) Uprising in western Massachusetts. In a period of economic depression and land seizures for debt collection, several hundred farmers led by Daniel Shays (1747 – 1825. Shays then led about 1,200 men in an attack on the nearby federal arsenal The Mass. State gov’t was forced to pay the state militia to suppress the uprising This demonstrated to our forefathers that the Articles needed to at least be changed. Soon after the delegates met in Philadelphia they decided that the Articles could not be reformed and thus they were scrapped http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ImIEcsTEVo

Video about the Pros and Cons of the Articles of Confederation http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJg4kdKUTp4 Video about the Pros and Cons of the Articles of Confederation