1. Articles of Confederation Strengths
What powers were given to Congress under the Articles of Confederation?
Conduct Foreign Affairs- example: make treaties with other counties
Declare war and make peace- but so could the individual states.
Make and borrow money- states could make their own money too.
Control Western Territories- areas that had not become states yet
Control Indian Affairs
Run a postal service
Articles of Confederation, 1781

2. Articles of Confederation
What were the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation?
No executive branch, or judicial branch- No President, No Supreme Court
Congress couldn’t
enforce laws
couldn’t collect taxes- only the states could
regulate interstate or foreign trade
establish any other federal(national) courts
amend(change) the Articles of Confederation.

3. Articles of Confederation
Shays’s Rebellion exposed the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation.
Shays’s rebellion showed people that a stronger national government was
needed in case other uprisings happened in the future.
1786- Daniel Shays led some Massachusetts farmers in a revolt against the State’s government because of unfair taxation.
Daniel Shays grave marker in
Scottsburg, New York.

4. Enlightenment Philosophers
- A philosopher is a person who seeks knowledge and wisdom.
- Enlightenment Period , also called the Age of Reason,
occurred in Europe from
- Many of the Founding Fathers were heavily influenced by the Enlightenment philosophers.

5. Social Contract
-Many Enlightenment Philosophers had a vision of an ideal society where all the people made laws and decisions together.
Citizens make a “contract” with each other, not with a government(monarch), pledging to respect each other’s rights.
All citizens agree to give up some of their personal choices to help meet the needs of their community. Like paying taxes, agreeing to respect and follow the laws, serving in the armed forces…

6. John Locke (1632-1704), British Philosopher
-Locke believed government is created by the people to serve and protect their needs.
A government could exist only as long as the people agreed with it and felt it was protecting their basic rights.
If the people grew unhappy with their government because it was not serving their needs, they had a right to overthrow the government and replace it with a new one.
Locke also believed all people are born with natural rights that can never be taken away by the government: Life, Liberty, and Property