Articles of Confederation

First constitution of the U.S.  Central government  Separate from state constitutions  Set laws for entire country

States did not want a big central government  Were afraid of “big” government  Citizens felt loyal to states, not country

Limited power  Hard to pass laws  Congress could not regulate trade  Could not raise money, had to ask  Individual states had more power

Western Land  Small states wanted land west of Appalachians given up  Didn’t want any large all-powerful states

Conflicts  There were many arguments between states  Federal government could not settle disputes

Taxes  Government had huge debts  No way to raise money for them  Each state had own currency

Northwest Ordinance (only positive of Articles)  Outlawed slavery in territory  Sold in square mile sections for $640  Could become a state with 60,000 free settlers  Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin