1. II. Origins of American Government
Unit 2: Foundations of American Government

2. Bell Ringer Which government issued this currency?
What problem did local currencies create?

3. III. The Critical Period
Need something more permanent then the Continental Congress

4. A) The Articles of Confederation
“a firm league of friendship” – ratified on March 1st, 1781
Articles of Confederation – US first official form of government – weak
Ratification – formal approval
Articles allowed each state to act as its own country

5. B) The Critical Period Treaty of Paris 1783 States bickered
Made foreign agreements
Taxed each other
Own money
Banned trade with each other
Failed to fund the central government

6. Shay’s Rebellion
Small farmers lost land as economic conditions worsened
Captain Daniel Shay, led a rebellion in Massachusetts to closed down courts – couldn’t foreclose
Next year, attacked an arsenal
No one to put it down – no authority
Finally, state put it down and Shay fled to Vermont

7. C) A Need for a Stronger Government
Articles are not working (Shay)
Mount Vernon meeting – Maryland and Virginia met to settle trade dispute – went well – called for a bigger one
Annapolis – only 5 states showed up – called for another one in Philadelphia
Philadelphia – met to revise the Articles of Confederation - now known as the Constitutional Convention

8. Review