Our Nation’s First Government Chapter 2 Section 3

I. State Constitutions Constitution – written plan for government By 1780, each state had a constitution, a bicameral legislature, a governor to enforce laws, and a court system to interpret laws. Some states had a Bill of Rights to protect individual rights.

C. Massachusetts Constitution It was the basis for the U.S. Constitution. It distributed power among a Legislative Branch, Executive Branch, and Judicial Branch. The governor and the courts were able to limit the power of the legislature. The Massachusetts Constitution was written during a convention and approved by Massachusetts' citizens.

II. Articles of Confederation, 1777 The colonies were afraid of a powerful centralized government, but they could not survive as individual countries. The colonies formed a Confederation or a “League of Friendship” called the Articles of Confederation. The colonists did not want a strong government because they were afraid the government would abuse its power!

III. Weaknesses in the Articles of. Confederation Government III. Weaknesses in the Articles of Confederation Government *refer to the diagram on page 41 (I-books pg.16) Congress could not pass a law unless nine states voted in favor of the law. The government had no power to regulate trade between states. To amend the Articles of Confederation, all of the 13 states had to approve. There was no executive branch or judicial branch. The federal government could not tax or demand money from state governments.

IV. 1783 Treaty of Paris A. The peace agreement between Great Britain and the United States that ended the Revolutionary War. B. Great Britain recognized the United States as an independent country. V. War Debt A. The Articles of Confederation government was deeply in debt because of the Revolutionary War. The government raised taxes to pay off the debt. The colonists were hurt badly by the taxes, especially the farmers.

VI. Shays’ Rebellion Daniel Shays was a Massachusetts farmer. The courts tried to take his farm because he could not pay the new taxes. He led a rebellion of 1,200 farmers onto a federal arsenal. The rebellion was stopped by colonial militia because the Articles of Confederation Government was not strong enough to stop the rebellion.

VII. The Constitution In 1787, twelve states sent delegates to a meeting in Philadelphia. They were supposed to revise the Articles of Confederation Government. The delegates chose to throw out the Articles of Confederation and create the Constitution, though they were only authorized to change the Articles government.