1. The Confederation

2. Treaty of Paris September 3, 1783
Signing of the treaty ends the Revolutionary War
Britain recognizes the United States of America as a sovereign nation
With a new nation, comes the reality that they need to create a working government

3. Articles of Confederation
The US just finished fighting for independence from a tyrannical government
There was a lot of fear of a strong government that could control all aspects of life
The Articles of Confederation formed a weak central government
The majority of the power was reserved for the states

4. Articles of Confederation
Only had a Congress
States would send delegates once a year to meet in the nation’s capital
No executive or judicial branches

5. Articles of Confederation
Congress had the power to:
Declare war
Raise armies
Sign treaties
Congress could not:
Tax
Regulate trade

6. Western Policies
Without the power to tax, congress made money by selling the land west of the Appalachian Mountains
The land was divided up and sold according to the Northwest Ordinance
The land would be divided into 3 to 5 states
People in the area would be guaranteed some basic rights (Religion, property rights, and trial by jury)

7. Success In Trade
Following the war, Britain restricted American trade with British colonies
They did allow American goods to be sold in Britain, but ships could only carry goods from the states they were from (Massachusetts ships could not carry NY goods)
Trade treaties were made with Holland, Prussia, and Sweden
By 1790, America was trading at a higher level than the colonies before the war

8. Problems with Trade
Following the war, America was flooded with cheap British goods which hurt American manufacturers
Some states taxed British goods, but it was not uniform throughout the country
British goods would go to the states with the lowest taxes then move throughout the country
Congress did not have the authority to do anything about it

9. Problems with Diplomacy