 Experimenting with the Confederation Chapter 5 Section 1 Mr. Clifford US 1

Americans Debate Republicanism Republic or Democracy  REPUBLIC: government in which citizens rule through their elected representatives.  DEMOCRACY: government directly by the people

Unity Through A Republic  Americans favored a republic over a democracy WHY????  18 th Century Americans believed that a democracy (government of the people), placed too much power in the hands of the uneducated masses.  Republicanism: government should be based on the consent of the people led to two different philosophies:

John Dickinson Empower Virtuous Leaders  John Dickinson and many others believed that the United States should be governed by ‘virtuous people’.  These people would determine what was best for the nation, states, and people.  States should be governed by a select few.

Adam Smith Promote Freedom & Self Interest  Adam Smith, philosopher & economist believed that a republic would benefit from self-interest.  A government that allows independent states/people to pursue their own economic & political interests will succeed!

State Constitutions (similarities)  Many state constitutions shared certain similarities.  Limiting the power of government leaders  Guaranteed specific rights for citizens like:  freedom of speech  freedom of religion  freedom of press State Constitutions emphasized LIBERTY rather than EQUALITY. States FEARED a STRONG CENTRAL GOVERNMENT

State Constitutions (differences)  Voting Rights  African Americans  Non-property owners  Women

Political Precedents  Continental Congress could not base their new government on any previous government institution.  During the Middle Ages, Italian cities like Florence, Pisa, Genoa, & Venice became ‘self governing’ city states.  Republics & various democratic systems had existed in Greece & Rome.

Ancient Roman Senate

Continental Congress Debates Representation by Population or State  States were unequal in size, wealth, and population.  Should delegates to a new government represent people of states?  Should each state elect the same number of representatives regardless of population?  Should states with large populations have more representatives that states with small populations?

Representation in Congress 1 state = 1 delegate Virginia= 1 delegate in Congress New Jersey= 1 delegate in Congress

National vs. State Powers  state governments & federal government would share fundamental powers.  States were supreme in some matters, while the national government was supreme in others.

National vs. State Powers NATIONAL GOVERNMENT power to declare war make peace sign treaties borrow money establish a postal service deal with Native Americans govern Western Lands STATE GOVERNMENT power to tax its citizens trade with states and foreign nations

Western Lands By 1781, the states gave up their western claims to the Confederation Congress and the Articles of Confederation went into effect in March 1781.

Governing Western Lands Land Ordinance of 1785: - Established a plan for surveying the land Northwest Ordinance of Provided a procedure for dividing the land into territories. - Set requirements for admission of new states.

The Confederation Encounters Problems Political & Economic Problems Problem 1: The United States lacked ‘national unity’. o States functioned ‘independently by pursuing their own interests. (SECTIONALISM) Problem 2: Confederation Congress did not recognize the differences in population among the states. o Each state, regardless of population had only one vote in Congress.  Population of Georgia: 25,000 & Massachusetts population: 270,000

The Confederation Encounters Problems Political & Economic Problems Problem 3: Articles could not be amended without the consent of all the states.(13 out of 13) Nearly impossible to amend government. Problem 4: Congress was in enormous debt which was amassed during the Revolutionary War. ($160 million) Continental money was worthless. Problem 5: Congress had no control over interstate or foreign trade. States taxed each other and made alliances with foreign nations.

Borrowers vs. Lenders WEALTHY CREDITORS  Creditors: After the Revolution, wealthy people who lent money to the states favored high taxes so the state governments could pay back their loan.  Creditors wanted to keep the supply of money low so that it would keep its full value. POOR BORROWERS  Debtors: High taxes sent many citizens (farmers) into debt. If farmers couldn’t pay back their loan the state would seize their land and animals and sell them at auction.  Debtors wanted the state to print more paper money to lessen its value and enable them to pay off their debts with cheap currency.

Foreign-Relations Problems - 1.) Britain refused to evacuate its military forts on the Great Lakes. - 2.) Spain’s presence on the western boarder of US posed a threat to US western expansion. Spain eventually closed the Mississippi River to American navigation. (This paralyzed western farmers from shipping crops to markets in the east. American citizens fear of giving the national government too much power had resulted in a government that lacked power to deal with the nation’s problems.

WEAKNESSES OF THE ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION  Congress could not enact and collect taxes  Congress could not regulate interstate or foreign trade  Each state had only one vote in Congress, regardless of population  One out of 13 states needed to agree to pass any law  Articles could be amended only if all states approved  There was no executive branch to enforce laws of Congress  There were 13 separate states that lacked national unity  There was no national court system to settle legal disputes