1. COS Standard 4
Describe the political system of the US based on the Constitution of the US.

2. Describe the inadequacies of the Article of Confederation
Chapter 5 Section 1

3. Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union
America’s First Constitution
In1777, the Continental Congress adopts the Article of Confederation and Perpetual Union.
Loose union of the states under congress
No executive branch and judicial branch (handled within the state)
Weak central government
Meets once a year
Each state has one vote
Changes required unanimous ratification

4. Articles of Confederation
Power to declare war, raise an army, establish a postal service and sign treaties
Do not have the power to impose taxes or regulate trade.
How do they raise money?
Sell land
Ask for money

5. Selling Land
Land ordinance of 1785: Old Northwest to be sold to pay for national debt
Sets up how towns should look
Northwest Ordinance of 1787: determines how a territory becomes a state
Provides a framework to govern the territory
60,000 people must live in a territory before it can become a state
Bans slavery

6. Selling Land

7. Why it does not work?: Trade
British merchants flooded America with their cheap goods.
American artisans were driven out of business
States had to regulate commerce and they imposed taxes on imported good.
Not all the same price.
Land goods in cheapest place then move goods over land to final destination.
States start to put posts at their borders to issue taxes on goods moved across states.

8. Why it does not work?: Foreign Policy (page 160)
Congress cannot force Americans to pay their debts to Britain or return land to Loyalists.
British subjects refuse to leave America until they pay.
Congress cannot work out a solution with Spain over the disputed Georgia/Spanish Territory: mouth of Mississippi River.
Closes the river to American’s shipping goods to market

9. Why it does not work?: Economics
After the American Revolution, the US experiences a severe recession.
To pay for war, states issued bonds that wealthy people bought to loan the US money to pay for the war.
To pay back the money, states issue paper money with no gold or silver to back it.
Money declines

10. Why it does not work?: Shay’s Rebellion
Massachusetts, 1786
Raised taxes instead of issuing paper money.
Hurt farmers more than anyone else: cannot pay taxes, lose farms
How can we avoid losing farms? Shut down the courthouse
Later, Daniel Shays and other rebels marched to the state supreme court, on their way they tried to seize weapons from an arsenal. The arsenal was defended by 4,000 troops. 4 die. Shays and his rebels scattered and the rebellion ended.

11. What’s Next? American’s see disadvantages to weak central government.
CALL FOR CHANGE!
Stronger central government