1. Articles of Confederation

2. 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 Untied States. While it created a National Congress, it also had many issues.

3. 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”

4. 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)

5. Strengths of AOC
Negotiated Treaty of Paris (1783) which ended the Revolutionary War
Land Ordinance of 1785
Northwest Ordinance of 1787

6. 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 $
Established a method for selling land
Selling of townships and units to individuals

7. 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.

8. Shay’s Rebellion
An armed uprising in Massachusetts from 1786 to The rebels were mostly small farmers angered by crushing state debt and taxes.
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. -How does the government pay for the military?

9. 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.

10. 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?

11. 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

12. 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).
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? Why?)

13. Other Bills & Acts in the Constitution
Slave Trade & Commerce Compromise: outlawed the slave trade in 1808 but did not outlaw slavery.
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.