Goal 1.05 Identify the major domestic problems of the nation under the Articles of Confederation (A of C) and assess the extent to which they were resolved by the new Constitution

The Articles of Confederation Characteristics of the Articles, a weak central government 9 of 13 votes needed to pass a law no power to enforce laws 13 of 13 to amend no military no power to tax unicameral, one branch, weak, central government could not regulate trade

The Articles of Confederation The advantages / the achievements of a weak central government Treaty of Paris 1783 ended the Revolutionary War, gave land to the US Land Ordinance of 1785 organized the new territory for settlement one section was set aside for public education Northwest Ordinance 1787 provided a way for the territories to become = states

The Articles of Confederation specifics of the Land Ordinance 1785

The Road to the Constitution of 1787, the Constitutional Convention Shays’s Rebellion a Massachusetts farmer, Daniel Shays, led farmers who were unable to pay their mortgages on a march to an arsenal to get weapons to prevent courts from holding session and taking their farms away. the Massachusetts militia was eventually able to put down the rebellion the central government, the A of C, was powerless many leaders decided to call a convention to rewrite the Article of Confederation to give the central gov’t power

The Road to the Constitution of 1787, the Constitutional Convention at the convention, competing plans were suggested and compromises needed the Virginia Plan a bicameral legislature, based on population the New Jersey Plan a unicameral legislature, based on equality the Great Compromise / Connecticut Plan a bicameral legislature, the upper house based on equality and the lower house based on population

The Road to the Constitution of 1787, the Constitutional Convention 3/5s Compromise a slave counts as 3/5s a person for tax and for representation purposes (for the House of Representatives) the Commerce and Slave Trade Compromise the slave trade will continue until 1808 Congress can regulate interstate and foreign trade Electoral College – President elected indirectly by electors from each state. Each state has a number of electoral votes based on their number of Senators and Representatives combined and most states operate on the winner take all principle. Winner Take All Principle: Whomever wins the popular vote in that state gets ALL of that states electoral votes. The 23rd amendment gave electoral votes to Washington D.C.

The Road to the Constitution of 1787, the Constitutional Convention the major problems of the Articles of Confederation included deciding how much power a central government would have and how to deal with the new land the new land was dealt with effectively the power of a central government proved too weak and the Constitutional Convention and its compromises created a new, more powerful gov’t opposing leaders will demand a Bill of Rights