Chapter 5: Forming a New Government Section 1: The Articles of Confederation

Ideas About Government  By declaring their independence from Great Britain, America made a bold move  America’s next goal: to form a new government To do so, American leaders drew from a wide range of ideas

English Laws and the Enlightenment  Rule of Law: source of inspiration for the formation of the new American Government Makes government officials subject to law  England has limited the power of monarchs in 2 documents 1.Magna Carta: Signed by King John in 1215, made the king subject to law 2.English Bill of Rights: passed in 1689, declared the supremacy of Parliament  Monarchs could not pass any laws without the consent of Parliament

English Laws and the Enlightenment  Enlightenment: a philosophical movement that emphasized the use of reason to examine old ideas and traditions  John Locke Philosopher Believed there was a social contract between political rulers and the people  Baron de Montesquieu Argued that the only way to achieve liberty was through a separation of governmental powers

American Models of Government  Virginia House of Burgesses  Mayflower Compact  Connecticut drew up the first written colonial constitution Set of basic principles and laws that states the powers and duties of the government  Declaration of Independence

American Models of Government  State governments were limited to prevent any one individual from gaining too much power All leaders had to obey laws  Laws protected the rights of citizens  Some banned slavery  Thomas Jefferson Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom  Declared that no person could be forced to attend a particular church or be required to pay for a church with tax money

Right to Vote  Under British rule, only free, white, property-owning males could vote  Suffrage The Right to Vote  Only landowners could hold public office

The Articles of Confederation  Second Continental Congress appointed a Committee of Thirteen (one member from each colony) to draft the Articles of Confederation  Under the Articles of Confederation Congress was the only branch of government Limited powers to protect the liberties of the people Each state had only 1 vote in Congress, regardless of population

The Articles of Confederation  Congress could: Settle conflicts between states Issue Coins Borrow money Make treaties Ask states for money and soldiers  States had the power to refuse all requests  Government did not have an executive or judicial branch (President or Court System)

The Articles of Confederation  The Second Continental Congress passed the Articles of Confederation in 1777  Sent to each state for ratification Official approval  Conflicts over land slowed the approval

Northwest Territory  After the American War of Revolution, Congress had to decided 2 things 1.What to do with western lands now under their control 2.How to pay war debts  Land Ordinance of 1785 System for surveying and dividing western lands  Land split into 36 square mile townships  Townships divided into 36 lots of 640 acres each 1 lot for a public school 4 lots for Revolutionary War Veterans Rest of lots sold to the public

Northwest Territory  Northwest Ordinance of 1787 Established the Northwest Territory  Present day Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Minnesota, and Wisconsin Created a political system for the region Territory would be divided into several smaller territories with a governor appointed by Congress When territory population reached 60,000, settlers could draft their own constitution and ask to join the Union Protected Civil Liberties Banned Slavery