Foundations of the United States Political System http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCB8EOY5d48 Foundations of the United States Political System

Articles of Confederation Ratified in 1781 Provided a weak central (federal) government and promoted strong state government Once the colonies declared independence, they became individual states. Once they became states, they each drew up their own constitutions They also needed laws that applied to all states, not just individual states Why do we need national laws, and not just state laws? Many Americans did not want a strong federal government They worried a strong federal government could become oppressive and give rise to another king Americans wanted as much freedom as possible

What was wrong with the Articles of Confederation? For any law to be final, 9 of 13 states had to agree to it. To change (amend) the Articles, all states had to be in agreement Congress (fed. government) did not have the power to tax. Congress could only request money from the states Congress was unicameral (one house) and each state had one representative No executive branch to enforce laws, no judicial branch to interpret laws

Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation 1783- After the Treaty of Paris: England refused to withdraw troops from the Ohio Valley and Spain closed the port of New Orleans. Unable to raise/fund an army, the US could not oppose these actions. What are the British and Spain thinking at this point? Realizing how weak the Articles were. Why can’t the central/federal government raise the money for an army? Spain disputed borders with America and claimed the Mississippi River, which southerners needed for trade

Shays’ Rebellion Massachusetts raised taxes to a high rate to pay its debts Western backcountry farmers were hurt by the tax and many lost their farms Origins: Massachusetts farmers were in debt & could not pay back Therefore, their farms were be taken away from them Actions leading to the rebellion: Some of these debtors were put in prison Farmers began to organize and hold meetings to decide how to resist

Shays’ Rebellion Farmers wanted lower taxes and attacked courts Daniel Shays led 1,200+ farmers to a federal arsenal to steal weapons and march to Boston The Massachusetts militia stopped the rebellion

Shays’ Rebellion Shays’ Rebellion exposed the WEAKNESS of the Articles of Confederation Congress could not raise an army to address this threat Congress could not stop the financial problems that led to rebellions Made it clear that a stronger central government was needed to keep the peace. The U.S. needed a more powerful national army to prevent uprisings like this one

Two Important Acts… Northwest Ordinance (1787): Divided the area into smaller territories and provided guidelines for new states. Results in formation of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Once 5,000 males live in a territory, it could elect a governing body Once 60,000 people live in a territory, it could apply to become a state Land Ordinance of 1785: Divided land into townships and allowed Congress to raise money by selling the land to settlers in the Northwest Territory.