1. Journal #21
Constitution – a set of basic principles and laws that state the powers and duties of the government
Republicanism – a system where citizens elect representatives who are responsible to the people
Limited Government – a government where all leaders have to obey laws and no one has total power
Suffrage – voting rights
Ratification – official approval

2. Quotes of the Day
“Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.”
“Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?”
“Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend.”
“Never succumb to the temptation of bitterness.”
Martin Luther King Jr.

3. Unit 5: A New American Nation
Chapters 7-9

4. Bonus Questions During what years was the American Revolution fought?
Name an important leader of the American Revolution besides George Washington
What was the final major battle of the American Revolution?
What was the final peace agreement of the American Revolution?

5. In This Unit We Will Learn About
The Articles of Confederation
Problems with the new nation after the Revolution
The Constitution
Citizenship and the new government (the 3 branches of government)
The Bill of Rights

6. Ideas About Government
After the colonies declared independence in 1776, they needed to form governments
They used many political ideas from other people
The Romans – republicanism and balance of power
English Law – The Magna Carta and the English Bill of Rights both limited the King/Queen’s power
The Enlightenment, especially philosopher John Locke – natural rights
American political traditions – the town hall meeting and the Virginia House of Burgesses

7. English Law
2 documents in English law had limited the power of Kings and Queens
The Magna Carta – document which required the king to follow the law just like everybody else
The English Bill of Rights – document that said that the king or queen couldn’t pass new laws without Parliament’s approval
Parliament is the British (English) lawmaking body (similar to our Congress)

8. The Enlightenment
When people began to argue for using reason and logic to solve problems – in the 1700s
John Locke – believed that the government had a duty to protect people’s unalienable rights, if leaders failed to do this, they should be replaced

9. American Political Traditions
The Mayflower Compact
The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut
Is considered the first written constitution in the colonies
The Declaration of Independence

10. State Constitutions
During the Revolution, nearly every colony wrote a new state constitution
These constitutions showed a belief in republicanism, limited government, and suffrage for more people
White men gained more voting rights

11. Forming a Union
Some wanted a national government to hold the country together – others did not
Eventually the 2nd Continental Congress created a committee to create a national constitution
The committee creates the Articles of Confederation

12. The Articles of Confederation
A new Confederation Congress would become the national government
The Articles of Confederation did not have a president or court system
The Confederation Congress had very limited powers
It could make coins and borrow money
It could make treaties
It could settle conflicts between the states
It could ask for money and troops
The Articles of Confederation were ratified in March of 1781

13. The Northwest Territory
Under the Articles of Confederation, the national government controlled newly claimed “western” land
The Confederation Congress decides to sell the land to the public
The Land Ordinance of 1785 set up a system for dividing the public territory
It divided the land into townships of 36 square miles
Each township was divided into 36 lots of 640 acres each
One of the lots was for a school, 4 went to Revolutionary War veterans and the rest were for sale to the public
Importance: this is the basis for the Public Land Survey System which is still used today to identify land parcels for undeveloped land

14. Township

15. The Northwest Ordinance of 1787
Created the Northwest Territory which is the land that now includes Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin
The Northwest Ordinance had other important provisions
It created a system for bringing new states into the Union
It required that public education be provided in the region
Stated that “there shall be neither slavery nor involuntary servitude in the territory.” – based on a proposal by Thomas Jefferson

16. Problems in the New Nation
7.2

17. Weaknesses of the Confederation Congress and the Articles of Confederation
Problems with other countries – they did not respect our weak central government
Problems with trade – the government couldn’t regulate it
Economic problems in the U.S. – related to interstate (between state) trade and inflation – led to a depression

18. Problems with Other Countries
The story of Thomas Amis on the Mississippi River in 1786
The Confederation Congress couldn’t protect citizens because it could not force states to provide soldiers
Britain was slow to turn over their forts in the U.S.
The Spanish closed the lower Mississippi to U.S. shipping
People began to criticize the weak Confederation Congress

19. Problems with Trade
After the Revolution the British refused to trade with the U.S.
The British also forced Americans to pay high taxes, called tariffs, in order to sell their goods in Britain
At the same time, British goods flowed freely into the U.S.
The Confederation Congress could not fix the problem because it didn’t have the power to pass its own tariffs

20. Economic Problems in the U.S.
Trade among the states was a problem
The ability of states to print their own money was another problem
Some states printed large amounts of money to pay off war debts – this leads to inflation (when money becomes less valuable)
The Confederation Congress couldn’t regulate the printing of money
These factors lead to a depression

21. Shay’s Rebellion
Farmers were having economic trouble in Massachusetts, courts were taking their land as payment of debts
In September 1786, some of the farmers started a revolt
Armed with pitchforks and other farm tools, the citizens shut down courts in part of the state
A Revolutionary War veteran named Daniel Shays was the main leader of the revolt

22. Shays Rebellion
The state government orders the farmers to stop the revolt or die
Most of Shays’ rebels are arrested or surrender by 1787
14 of the rebels are sentenced to death, but most are eventually freed, including Shays
The state knew that many citizens agreed with the rebels
There were different responses to Shays’ Rebellion
George Washington and Thomas Jefferson

23. The Significance of Shays Rebellion
Shays Rebellion showed the weakness of the Confederation government and led some Americans to admit that the Articles of Confederation were not working
Massachusetts asked the national government to help but Congress could not do much
Many Americans began to call for a stronger national government

24. A Push for Change
In 1786 the Virginia legislature called for a conference to talk about changing the Articles of Confederation
A convention was held in Annapolis, Maryland but not every state sent representatives
James Madison and Alexander Hamilton, who were at the Annapolis Conference, called for another conference in 1787 to improve the constitution of the national government