The Articles of Confederation America’s First Constitution

The Articles were written during the Revolutionary War Each colony became a state But each state was more like an independent country. People were loyal to their state, rather than their nation.

State Governments Each state dealt with foreign countries on its own. Each state made its own money. Each state decided how many troops it would provide to defend the nation

So this was NOT a united nation Under the Articles, it was simply an agreement by the states to work together. Which they didn’t.

Other problems came with the structure of the central (national) government

No judiciary (national court system) What if two states got into an argument?

One-house legislature, (congress) with little power.

No real executive branch Without a President, the government lacked anyone to enforce the few laws that Congress passed

Other problems with the Articles Congress could not regulate trade between states. This caused conflict over the trade rules each state passed on its own Each state had only one vote in Congress It did not matter how many people lived in the state. Do you see how that could be seen as unfair?

And the congress could only ask for taxes from the thirteen states, not demand them

Government Gridlock To pass a law, 9 of 13 states must agree It’s difficult to reach a majority that large Few laws were passed To amend (change) the Articles of Confederation, all states must agree.

Congress Each State = 1 Vote No Executive No Judicial System Citizens of Each State Elects State Gov’t NH MA RI CT NY PA NJ DE MD VA NC SC GA Congress Each State = 1 Vote No Executive No Judicial System

Call for Change The central government is simply too weak to govern effectively With no uniform currency, and no government power over trade, trade among the 13 states slows to a halt The new nation faces a depression soon after it wins independence

Is the United States doomed?

Shay’s Rebellion (1787) freaks the Founding Fathers out! Colonists in Mass. angry over high taxes. A farmer named Daniel Shays leads an armed rebellion. Congress cannot raise funds for an army to end the rebellion—eventually, it ends on its own

The rebellion convinces many people the Articles need serious revision. So delegates from the states meet in Philadelphia to “revise” our first constitution They wind up throwing it out and writing a new one!

To think about: Why does it actually make sense that Americans would create such a weak government after their experience with King George III and Great Britain?