BellRinger  The colonists have just won the war for independence. They do not want to return to system where one person has all the power. What type of government would you suggest if you lived in the 1780’s? Why?

THE ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION

Thirteen Independent States NNeeded to establish their own government & gain Britain’s respect BBritish believed the new government was weak & ineffective SStates organized their gov’ts & adopted their own state constitutions WWriters wanted to prevent abuses of power; keep power in the hands of the people SState constitutions limited the power of the governor; avoid giving one ruler too much power

One Branch of Government  States divided functions between the governor & the legislature  Legislature-most powerful; limited powers of the governor  Legislatures were popularly elected; elections were frequent

Forming a Republic  Americans agreed that the country should be a republic (gov’t with elected representatives)  Could not agree on was the origin & powers of the new republic  Americans favored a weak central gov’t; states function independently except for the power to wage war & handle relations with other countries

Articles Adopted  1777-the Articles of Confederation were adopted to provide for a central government  Country needed a central government to fight the war against Britain  America’s first constitution  States gave up little of their power; kept “its sovereignty, freedom, and independence”

Gov’t Under the Articles  Gov’t had the authority to:  conduct foreign affairs  maintain armed forces  borrow money  issue currency  Gov’t did not have the authority to:  regulate trade  force citizens to join the army  impose taxes  Congress needed to ask state legislatures to raise money & provide troops

Gov’t Cont.  Gov’t did not have a chief executive  Each state had one vote in Congress  States argued about whether or not they claimed land in the West  Maryland refused to ratify the Articles of Confederation until states abandoned their land claims  March 1, 1781-all 13 states approved the Articles  Formally became the gov’t of the U.S.

Weaknesses of the Articles  Confederation gov’t had its weaknesses, but won Americans their independence, expanded foreign trade, & provided for new states in the West  Had limited authority  Could not pass a law unless nine states voted for it  All 13 states had to give consent to change the Articles Difficult for Congress to pass laws when there was any opposition