The Articles of Confederation The 1st Constitution for The United States

No executive branch and no President Each state had 1 vote in Congress Articles of Confederation Unicameral Congress No federal courts No executive branch and no President Each state had 1 vote in Congress

Government Under the Articles Representatives had no set term. Only powers given to Congress were Make war and peace Send and receive ambassadors Enter into treaties Raise and equip a navy Maintain an army

Weaknesses of Articles No power to levy or collect taxes. Had to borrow or request money from states. No power to regulate trade. No power to force anyone to obey the laws. Needed 9 of 13 states to pass laws. 1 2 3 4

Weaknesses of Articles Every state, regardless of population, had equal vote. Amendments required consent from all states. (No amendments ever passed!!!) No executive branch and no President. No national court system. 5 6 7 8

Need for Stronger Government Quarrels among the states. Boundaries Taxes Some states began to deal directly with foreign nations.

Need for Stronger Government Money problems Unpaid debt to foreign lenders Unpaid soldiers

The Breaking Point SHAY’S REBELLION Economic depression Armed group of farmers Attacked federal arsenal

The Impact !!! Scared American leaders Demonstrated how weak the central government really was. Caused general public to support the idea of a stronger central government.

The Annapolis Convention 1786 Delegates were invited to discuss commerce. Meeting successfully resolved some problems between states. So another meeting was called in 1787 in Philadelphia to propose changes to make the central government more effective.

1787 They began to write an entirely new Constitution. Some of America’s most brilliant leaders gathered in Philadelphia. They immediately skipped any attempt to improve the Articles of Confederation. They began to write an entirely new Constitution.