1. Lesson 1-Struggles of a New Nation

2. Essential question: What is the purpose of government?
Make a list with your table of all the important reasons we make plans.
Make a list with your table of the things governments do.

3. A Plan for Government The purpose of a government is to provide laws.
Laws help avoid conflicts and settle disputes.
Governments provide security for it’s people. (Police officers, armed forces, etc.)
Governments provide services and supplies. (Building and repairing roads, delivering mail, etc.)
Governments manage the economy.

4. A Plan for Government
There is a special word for a plan consisting of a set of laws……Constitution!

5. Creating a New Government
During the Second Continental Congress in 1776, the Founders had to make a rough plan of what to do if and when they would break away from Great Britain.
How would they ever be able to govern the 13 colonies on their own?!
It is impossible to please everyone and each of the colonies had their own ideas!

6. The Articles of Confederation
A confederation is a group of separate governments that agree to help each other.
At first, everyone thought it would be a good idea to have a group of separate friendly states that governed themselves individually as opposed to having one united nation.
The Articles of Confederation became the first constitution of the United States.
The 13 states had to ratify, or approve it.
The articles were ratified by all 13 states in 1781.
Why did the colonies not want the government to have too much power?

7. A Small Government
The government set up by the Articles of Confederation was small and limited in its power.
Made up of Congress.
Congress- a law making body.
Each state sent at least 2 representatives to Congress.

8. Weakness of the Articles of Confederation

9. Why was the lack of national currency a problem?

10. Troubles for the New Government
After the Revolutionary War, the country found itself in big debt.
Congress had borrowed a lot of money and could not pay it back.
State governments also had debt.
As a result, state governments raised taxes that people could not afford to pay.
Businesses went under and citizens went into debt!
Everyone owes money! Money, that they don’t have!

11. Violence Erupts
When people could not pay their debt, they were thrown in jail.
Daniel Shay (military officer) was in deep, deep, deep….debt.
He convinced others to rebel.
Him and his men broke into jails to free debtors.
Shay’s Rebellion was quickly stopped by the state militia.
However, Shay’s Rebellion showed that the Articles of Confederation had failed!

12. Why did people want a new government after Shay’s Rebellion?

13. The Northwest Ordinance
It was clear that the Articles were not working.
However, they did have one success.
Americans wanted to move west of the Appalachian Mountains.
Congress passed the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 which created the “Northwest Territory.”
Americans poured into Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin!

14. Calls for Change
Most Americans agreed that the Articles of Confederation needed to be changed.
A few members of Congress held a special meeting to decide what to do…..The Constitutional Convention!

15. The Constitutional Convention
In May 1787, leaders met in Philadelphia.
The delegates discussed the future of the government.
A delegate is a person who represents others at an important meeting.
The delegates decided that they would have to write an entirely new constitution to replace the Articles of Confederation…..

16. What was the Northwest Ordinance?