What is a constitution? List of rights Plan of government Group of people who make laws An amendment or change Response Grid

How many constitutions has the United States had? 1 2 3 4 Response Grid

What was the name of the US first constitution? Bill of Rights Constitution of the United States Declaration of Independence Articles of Confederation Response Grid

The Articles of Confederation What went wrong?

Articles of Confederation Definition: The US first constitution, gave more power to state government and left national government weak Lasted 6 years...breaking point? All states given 1 vote in congress = 13 total votes Federal- Another name for “national” typically referring to the government (think D.C.)

What Went Wrong? Lots went wrong! Most of them had to do with a WEAK national government. States were afraid a strong federal government would be like Britain States became very disunited. More like 13 separate countries than 13 United States

Feature: No Chief Executive The states didn’t want a president because it was too much like a king. They believed that no one person should have too much power.

Feature: No Chief Executive Why a problem? This was a problem because lack of leadership from a central government weakened the country. It was clear that the United States needed a single leader.

Feature: NEW laws needed approval by nine of the thirteen states. They wanted to protect individual states’ power. They feared that a strong central government would make unfair laws and show favoritism. If the Law wasn’t supported by nine of more states it would be dismissed.

Why was this a problem? It was very hard to get new laws passed. Every state had different values and beliefs concerning their people. Very rarely were laws passed or changed.

Feature: Congress Couldn’t Tax Congress didn’t have the power to tax. It could only request tax money from states, and often that request was denied. The states didn’t want the central government to over taxing them like Great Britain did.

Congress Couldn’t Tax Why was this a problem? Because Congress couldn’t tax they the government was very poor. It lacked the federal government funds to operate effectively. This made for a very weak central government.

Congress Couldn’t Draft an Army Congress did not have the power to draft an army. It could only request states to send men for military services. The states feared that a central government with a strong army might take away citizens’ rights. Station troops along the coast. What is he talking about?

Congress Couldn’t Draft an Army Why was this a problem? Without an army or navy the United States found it difficult to fend off invading countries or Native Americans. This task would be easier to complete with an army.

No National Court System The Articles stated that there would be no national court system. It was left up to each state to solve it’s own disputes. They feared a central government with a court system might be unfair to the rights of states.

No National Court System Why was this a problem? Each state had it’s own court system and when states fought head-to-head there was no set court system to settle the dispute. According to the laws of Virginia, you are wrong. Well, New Hampshire says YOU are wrong.

All Thirteen States Had to Approve Any Amendments- Changes to the Constitution All Amendments (changes) to the Articles had to be approved by ALL of the thirteen states. They wanted to make sure that every state had a strong say in the government.

All Thirteen States Had to Approve Any Amendments Why was this a problem? Because ALL states had to agree on any changes, there rarely were any. It was nearly impossible to make changes to the Articles. Any one state could stop an amendment that all the other states wanted.

Congress Couldn’t Collect State Debts Congress wasn’t given the power to collect state debts owed to the federal government. The states feared a strong central government could force states to pay for things they didn’t want.

Congress Couldn’t Collect State Debts Why was this a problem? Because Congress wasn’t given the power to collect state debts the country as a whole was in debt. The government cant operate effectively without any money.

Congress Couldn’t Settle Disputes Among the States. Just stay out of it! This is our fight not yours! Congress had no say when it came to arguments between states. The states didn’t want one group to have too much power like Great Britain's Parliament.

Congress Couldn’t Settle Disputes Among the States. Why was this a problem? With out a neutral referee the disputes were often unsettled and couldn’t be resolved. This created a great disunity among the states

Why did the Articles of Confederation fail? Overall…because the national government was WEAK!!!

Under the Articles…what was the difference between passing a new law and creating a change to an existing law (amendment)? New laws required 9 states to agree, amendments all 13 New laws required 13 states to agree, amendments 9 No difference. Both new laws and amendments needed all 13 states to agree New laws required 13 states to agree, amendments were not possible Response Grid

Why did we not have a President with the first constitution? President would pass unfair taxes Too much like a king We did have a President They couldn’t decide who it would be Response Grid

What was the MAIN reason the Articles of Confederation failed as a constitution? National government couldn’t tax We had no President The national government was weak New laws needed 9 out of 13 votes Response Grid

What is a constitution? List of rights Plan of government Group of people who make laws An amendment or change Response Grid

How many constitutions has the United States had? 1 2 3 4 Response Grid

What was the name of the US first constitution? Bill of Rights Constitution of the United States Declaration of Independence Articles of Confederation Response Grid

In your opinion…what was the biggest weakness of the AoC In your opinion…what was the biggest weakness of the AoC? (be ready to defend answer) No President (chief executive) New laws needed 9 of 13 states to agree No power to tax No power to draft soldiers No national court system Amendments (changes) needed approval of 13 states Congress couldn’t collect state debts Congress couldn’t solve problems between states