1. Articles of Confederation

2. Articles of Confederation
Created by the Second Continental Congress
First attempt at a constitution for the United States of America
A constitution is a set of basic principles and laws that states the powers and duties of the government

3. Ideas behind the Articles
Limited government: to keep individuals from gaining to much power, laws apply to EVERYONE (Magna Carta)
Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom: no person could be forced to attend church, no tax dollars could be used for churches (separation of church and state)

4. Details: Articles of Confederation
Passed on 11/15/1777 (this means it was passed during the War for independence!!)
ONE branch of government: Legislative
Congress could: issue coins, borrow money, make treaties, ask the states for money and soldiers

5. Weaknesses of the Articles
Set-up a confederacy (weak national government)
No President! No National Court System!
Each state had one vote (HUGE Virginia had same # of votes as TINY Rhode Island
States could refuse to send money and soldiers to help during wars

6. 1: decide what to do with all the land won in the War for Independence
Northwest Territory
Congress had two problems they needed to solve:
1: decide what to do with all the land won in the War for Independence
2:Pay off war debt

7. Northwest Territory Solution: Land Ordinance of 1785
Congress sold the land to pay off war debt and organized the land into towns

8. Northwest Territory

9. Northwest Territory
To form a political system for this new region they passed the Northwest Ordinance of 1787
The ordinance, or law created a system for bringing new states into the Union
If a territory had a population of 60,000, they could draft a state constitution & ask to join the Union