Articles of Confederation

Background Information… In 1776, colonies declared their independence. The colonists created the Articles of Confederation to bind the new states together. The Articles were the first form of government created in the newly declared United States. While it created a National Congress, it also had many issues. (Rough Draft of U.S. Constitution)

Articles of Confederation

Weakness of the AOC Congress (legislative branch) could not Regulate trade Collect taxes Raise an army One vote for each state, regardless of size 9 of the 13 states had to approve most acts/laws No National Court System No Executive Officer (President) No National Currency ($) National Government only had a unicameral (1 branch) Legislature Articles only a “firm league of friendship”

Individual states seemed to have most of the power under the Articles of Confederation, because there was no: National Army National Currency Executive Officer (President)

Strengths of AOC Negotiated Treaty of Paris (1783) which ended the Revolutionary War (*established American boundaries of Florida and Canada) Land Ordinance of 1785 Northwest Ordinance of 1787

LAND ORDINANCE OF 1785 The goal of the ordinance was to raise money through the sale of land in the largely unmapped territory west of the original colonies. Remember that government could not tax to raise money, so they needed to find ways to make $ *(colonies are $36 million dollars in debt b/c of Revolutionary war) Established a method for selling land Selling of townships and units to individuals

Land Ordinance of 1785

NORTHWEST ORDINANCE OF 1787 Created a management policy for Westward expansion. (creating Midwestern states) The U.S. could not legally grow as a Nation. Calls for transition from a territory to a state when population grows to 60,000. What did it get rid of that previously existed?

ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION Strengths Treaty of Paris 1783 Land Ordinance of 1785 Northwest Ordinance of 1787 Weaknesses Regulate trade Collect taxes Raise an army One vote for each state, regardless of size 9 of the 13 states had to approve most acts/laws No National Court System No Executive Officer (President) No National Currency ($) National Government only had a unicameral (1 branch) Legislature Articles only a “firm league of friendship”

Shay’s Rebellion An armed uprising in Massachusetts from 1786 to The rebels were mostly small farmers angered by crushing state debt and taxes, because of a depression. Failure to repay such debts often resulted in imprisonment or the claiming of property by the state. The importance of this rebellion was that it made people realize that without the ability to raise an army, the federal government could not function effectively. It was now evident that a * stronger central government was needed…so a revision of the AOC was necessary. -How does the government pay for the military?

Shay’s Rebellion

Problems arose between states … Trading states having different currencies($) No national defense As a result of these and other issues, delegates met to revise the Articles of Confederation. Some differences could not be resolved and they ended up drafting a new Constitution.

Arguments for the new Government A problem arises on how each state is to be represented in the new government. It becomes known as the big vs. little state debate. New Jersey Plan: Small state plan called for a unicameral legislature and representation based on one vote per state. Virginia Plan: Large state plan called for a bicameral legislature and representation by population. Why would big states want representation to be based on population while small states wanted equal representation?

Solutions offered by Constitution Representation by State & by State’s Population in bicameral (2 houses) legislature Congress had power to tax Congress had power to regulate trade President National Court System Amendments ratified by ¾ of States Laws passed by a simple majority from both houses Established strong National Government

Compromises… Great Compromise (Connecticut Compromise): divided the legislature into two bodies, the Senate and House of Representatives States had equal representation in the Senate (2 representatives from each state) and proportional representation in the House (based on population). *House of Rep: voted directly by the people *Senate: elected by state legislatures

Compromises… The three-fifths Compromise : states that for purposes of representation, five slaves would be counted as 3 free people. This compromise was used to determine a state’s population. (what states would favor this?) Slave Trade & Commerce Compromise : outlawed the slave trade in 1808 but did not outlaw slavery. (what region did that benefit?)

EOC PRACTICE Which American Compromise dealt with the issue of Slavery? A.Connecticut plan B.Great Compromise C.3/5 Compromise D.New Jersey Plan

Other Bills & Acts in the Constitution Bill of Rights: First 10 Amendments in the Constitution, protecting individual and state rights Electoral College: distributed the power to elect the president among the states. *if no majority can be reached then the election is determined by the House of Representatives.

EOC Practice Question The major problem with the Articles of Confederation was that it: A.did not allow for a national army B.did not allow the national government to tax C.did not allow for a national legislature. D.did not allow for interstate trade.

Practice Question Which event convinced many citizens that changes needed to be made to the AOC? A.Shay’s Rebellion B.Bacon’s Rebellion C.Stono Rebellion D.American Revolution

Chart Draw a chart that explains the significance of the 3 rebellions (Stono, Bacon’s & Shay’s) Significance of Stono Rebellion Significance of Bacon’s Rebellion Significance of Daniel Shay’s Rebellion

Classwork/homework questions 1.Why did the colonists create the Articles of Confederation? What was the document? 2.Please list 3 weaknesses under the Articles of Confederation. 3.What are the 3 strengths under the AOC? (What is the tip to remember them?) 4.What is the significance of Shay’s rebellion (farmer’s rebellion)? 5.Since the AOC had many weaknesses, what needed to be created to correct some of the problems? 6.List 3 solutions offered by the Constitution 7.What is the difference between the Virginia and New Jersey Plans? 8.What solved the problem between the two plans? 9.How is representation based in Congress? 10.Please explain the 3/5 Compromise & Slave Trade & Commerce Compromise. 11.If the electoral college cannot agree on whom shall be president, who then decides the election?