1. Creating a Nation
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2. The Articles of Confederation
Written by John Dickson in 1777
Ratified in 1781
Governed Americans in
Paved way for new Constitution
The country was in need of a new government and a written document to finalize it. The Articles of Confederation, written by John Dickinson in 1777 and ratified in 1781, served as America’s primary government between Americans created a “more perfect union” with the creation of the United States Constitution.

3. Powers of the National Government under the Articles
Declare War
Make peace
Sign treaties
Borrow money
Set standards for weights and measures
Establish Post Services
Deal with Native Americans
**The Articles of Confederation were a CONTROLLED Failure**

4. Greatest Achievements of Articles
Land Ordinance of 1785 – established a plan for surveying the land west of the Appalachian Mountains
Northwest Ordinance of 1787 – Congress provided a procedure for dividing the land into no less than three and more than five territories.
officially titled "An Ordinance for the Government of the Territory of the United States North West of the River Ohio," was adopted by the Confederation Congress on July 13, 1787.
This was the 1st territorial expansion of the New Nation

5. The Northwest Territory Grid System
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6. Northwest Ordinance
The ordinance would establish a clear, orderly process by which new territories in the west could become states.
These laws established a blueprint for the growth of the new nation.
outlined the process for admitting a new state to the Union
guaranteed that newly created states would be equal to the original thirteen states. Congress would appoint a territorial governor.
When a territory reached 5,000 voting residents the settlers could write a temporary constitution and elect their own government.
Total population of territory – 60,000 – Settlers could apply for statehood.
protected civil liberties and outlawed slavery in the new territories.
Abolished slavery in this territory, sold the land (source of revenue), One grid was set aside for public education.

8. Weaknesses
Did not create a separate executive branch to enforce the laws of Congress.
No national court system.
Courts lacked unity- each state functioned as a separate entity. They pursued their own interests.
One state – One Vote

9. Weaknesses
Could not be amended without the consent of all of the states. Change is difficult.
Congress could not enact TAXES.
Congress could not REGULATE INTERSTATE COMMERCE or FOREIGN TRADE.
9 out of 13 states needed to agree to pass a law.

10. Weaknesses 13 states lacked unity
Most serious problem – ECONOMY – The war cost the treasury millions of $$$$$$$$.
The Continental Congress borrowed from foreign countries.
Paper money became worthless.

11. Foreign Relations Problems
The lack of support by states for national concerns gave Congress foreign relation problems because the U.S. could not pay back its debt.
As a result Spain shut down the Mississippi River. Hurts merchants
Treaty between the U.S. and Spain which gave the U.S. the right to transport goods on the Mississippi river and to store goods in the Spanish port of New Orleans
The American-Spanish Border, 1783–1795

12. Fear of a Strong Government
Americans fear of giving the national government too much power had resulted in a government that lacked sufficient power to deal with the nation’s PROBLEMS

13. State Claims to Western Lands
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14. For American Indians
For the federal Congress, the greatest threat to the new United States came from American Indians.
Treaty of Fort Stanwix - A treaty between one faction of the Iroquois and the U.S. government that sought to end the violent battles over western land.
cessions by the Iroquois Confederacy of land in what are now western Pennsylvania, Kentucky, West Virginia, and New York, opening vast tracts of territory west of the Appalachian Mountains to white exploitation and settlement. 
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15. Tribal Land Claims, 1783–1788
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16. Ohio in the 1780s
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17. For Slaves, Former Slaves, and Those Who Claimed Ownership of Them
By the time George Washington was inaugurated president in 1789, slavery had been abolished in five states and was dying— though slowly— throughout the north.
Pennsylvania (1780), New Hampshire and Massachusetts (1783), Connecticut and Rhode Island (1784).
With the coming of peace, the planter elite in the South was determined to reestablish a way of life that depended on slavery.
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18. For Women: The Rise of Republican Motherhood
Women fell into all of the different groups that men did.
Republican Motherhood, came to dominate public discussions of women’s place in the new United States.
Women would have an important role, but a limited one
As in the case of the abolition of slavery, changes for women would not come overnight.
Education and respect would lead to the emergence of a powerful, outspoken middle class of women.
Women's role in society was altered by the American Revolution. Women who ran households in the absence of men became more assertive. 
ABIGAIL ADAMS, wife of John, became an early advocate of women's rights when she prompted her husband to "REMEMBER THE LADIES" when drawing up a new government.
Pre-Revolutionary ministers, particularly in Puritan Massachusetts, preached the moral superiority of men. Enlightened thinkers rejected this and knew that a republic could only succeed if its citizens were virtuous and educated. Who were the primary caretakers of American children? American women. If the republic were to succeed, women must be schooled in virtue so they could teach their children. The first American female academies were founded in the 1790s. This idea of an educated woman became known as "REPUBLICAN MOTHERHOOD."

19. Creating a Government: Writing the U.S. Constitution
The years immediately after the Revolution were not easy ones in the new United States of America.
Some of the most famous revolutionary leaders were determined to end the growing chaos and reshape the new nation they had helped to create.
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20. The Crisis of the 1780s: The Failure of the Articles of Confederation
Financial problems
Problems with navigation rights
Diplomatic problems
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21. The Constitutional Convention of 1787
1787 in Philadelphia – Constitutional Convention
55 white men convened
Virginia Plan: LARGE STATES
New Jersey Plan: SMALL STATES
“The Great Compromise”: What we ended up with
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23. THE GREAT COMPROMISE

24. VA Plan: James Madison
NJ Plan: William Patterson

25. The Effects of Slavery on a Unified Government
Framers were equally careful to protect the institution and appease slaveholders.
3/5 Compromise (1787)
The fugitive slave clause gave slaveholders a new and powerful tool.
3/5th compromise is repealed by the 13th & 14th amendment
The Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution officially abolished and continues to prohibit slavery to this day.
The Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution declared that all persons born or naturalized in the United States are American citizens including African Americans.
The Fugitive Slave Acts were a pair of federal laws that allowed for the capture and return of runaway slaves within the territory of the United States. Enacted by Congress in 1793, the first Fugitive Slave Act authorized local governments to seize and return escaped slaves to their owners and imposed penalties on anyone who aided in their flight. Widespread resistance to the 1793 law later led to the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, which added further provisions regarding runaways and levied even harsher punishments for interfering in their capture. The Fugitive Slave Acts were among the most controversial laws of the early 19th century, and many Northern states passed special legislation in an attempt to circumvent them. Both laws were formally repealed by an act of Congress in 1864.
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27. Debating and Adopting the Constitution (The bundle of compromises)
Federalists: Pro-Constitution
Antifederalists: Anti- Constitution
Delaware first state to ratify
Virginia the largest state to ratify
Rhode Island last to ratify
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29. VIDEOS: CRASH COURSE New Constitution
New Constitution
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