1. The Articles of Confederation
Ch. 5 Section 1

2. Review Causes of Revolutionary War Declaration of Independence
Common Sense, The American Crisis
Treaty of Paris 1783

3. The Articles of Confederation
1st plan of government
Created by the Continental Congress
Govern a loose union of the states under the authority of a Congress
Confederation Congress
Meet once a year
Each state would select a delegation to send to the capital city

4. The New Government
Articles of Confederation – weak plan that had many flaws…
Weak central govt.
Confederation Congress performed all govt. jobs (no separation of power, 1 branch)
Congress could…
Declare war, raise armies, sign treaties
Congress could not…
Tax the states, regulate trade, enforce states to follow treaty agreements made by the country
Difficult to amend (change)
There had to be a unanimous vote to change them

5. Organizing the West
To raise $, Congress sold land west of the Appalachian Mountains
Land Ordinance of created method for surveying & dividing land
Townships 6 miles square
Each township=36 equal sections

6. Governing the West
Northwest Ordinance- explained how new territory would be governed
Area needs 60,000 people to apply for statehood
No slavery in the Northwest Territory
People living in the territory were guaranteed certain rights such as…
Freedom of religion, property rights, and the right to trial by a jury

7. Economic Crisis US in a recession – economic slowdown
States and country in debt b/c of the war
Farmers borrowing too much money
States issue paper money – not backed by gold or silver
People don’t trust the money  inflation
Inflation – decline in the value of money
Paying debts with this money does not equal the debt owed (lenders get mad)

8. Shays’s Rebellion
Uprising by farmers in Massachusetts after the state raised taxes
Hurt farmers who couldn’t pay taxes & mortgages on farms
Farms were being taken to pay debts
Led by Daniel Shays
1,200 farmers attacked arsenal to get weapons  march to Boston
Militia opened fire and stopped the farmers
Four farmers died

9. The Last Straw
Shays’s Rebellion was the last straw for the Articles of Confederation
The rebellion not successful but…
It led many to see that a stronger central govt. was needed to protect the country
Called on the Confederation Congress to correct defects to the current govt.