1. Success Starter
Why was the Battle of Saratoga important to the Revolution?
Why was the American victory at Kettle Creek important?
What was the main purpose of the Declaration of Independence?
List the parts of the Declaration of Independence in order.

2. Success Starter
Why was the Battle of Saratoga important to the Revolution? – It was the turning point; it showed the French we could win, and they became our allies (Lafayette!!)
Why was the American victory at Kettle Creek important? – Georgia Patriots were able to obtain much-needed supplies and weapons.
What was the main purpose of the Declaration of Independence? – America wished to declare itself free of British rule (ie, “break up” with King George III).
List the parts of the Declaration of Independence in order. – (1) Preamble/Natural Rights of Man (2) List of Grievances (3) Separation/Declaration

4. Quick Overview
Video 1

5. Articles of Confederation
The Founding Fathers wanted to make sure that their new government would be very different from the government of Great Britain
The Articles of Confederation, ratified in 1781, intentionally established a weak national government.
Confederation: A group of states united under a weak central government
Ratify: to confirm by expressing consent or approval
Establish: to found, institute, build, or bring into being on a firm or stable basis
Under the Articles of Confederation, the U.S. government consisted of a unicameral legislature—Congress—in which each state had one vote.
Unicameral: one-house
There was no chief executive
There was no national court system

6. State Government Powers
States could tax their citizens
States could create a state court system
States could enforce laws passed by Congress
All powers were not delegated to the national government
What potential problems/weaknesses do you see here?

7. National Government Powers
Powers were limited to:
Declare war and wage war
Make treaties
Settle disputes between states
Petition (request) money from the states—but no power to collect the money
Direct the operations of land and naval forces
What potential problems/weaknesses do you see here?

8. Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation
National government cannot impose or collect taxes
No national currency
No national court system
No executive branch
No power to regulate trade among the states
One vote per state regardless of population
2/3 majority (nine of thirteen states) needed to pass law
Unanimous consent (all thirteen states) needed to amend the Articles of Confederation.
What kind of problems do you think this caused?

9. Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation
No strong national government: The states had a lot of power, but they couldn’t agree on anything. Congress can make laws but it can’t force states to obey them. Laws aren’t worth anything if they’re not enforced!
National government cannot impose or collect taxes: It takes money to run a government; how were they going to get it?
No national currency: The Continental Army couldn’t pay its own soldiers (what money would they use?). When it asked the states for help, most of them rejected or ignored the request.
No national court system: Again, who’s going to be in charge and enforce rules among the states?

10. Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation
No executive branch: Somebody needed to be in charge if we were to be taken seriously. The British reoccupied some of the forts in the Northwest Territory, and the national government was powerless to stop them. As a result, foreign countries didn’t have much respect for the United States.
No power to regulate trade among the states: Also, because each state had its own currency, it was nearly impossible for them to trade.
One vote per state regardless of population: This wasn’t fair to the people because some states had many more people than other states.
2/3 majority (nine of thirteen states) needed to pass law: How likely is this to ever happen?
Unanimous consent (all thirteen states) needed to amend the Articles of Confederation: Are you really ever going to get ALL thirteen states to agree to anything?

11. What Happened Next…
The national government established under the Articles of Confederation had little power, which is what its authors wanted. However, the Confederation government could not make the thirteen separate states into one nation.
In the summer of 1787, fifty-five delegates representing every state except Rhode Island met at Independence Hall in Philadelphia to revise the Articles of Confederation.
William Few and Abraham Baldwin were Georgia’s representatives to the Constitutional Convention.
This meeting resulted in the creation of an entirely new government: the Constitution. The Constitution drafted in 1787 is almost exactly the same today as it was then.