1. From Mediocre to Sublime
The Transformation of America’s
Central Power:
From the Articles to the Constitution
Chapter 9 Notes

2. Before I forget…
There is a website that gives chapter summaries of the text.
These should NOT be used in place of reading the chapter; they should supplement the chapter and is a good source of review
The website is

3. Now we return to our regularly scheduled program…
Weaknesses of Articles:
No executive branch (blame King George III)
No federal courts (state courts only)
Federal legislative branch was intentionally weak (state sovereignty more important than federal control)
Each state had one vote (advantage: small states)
9 out of 13 states needed to approve a law
All amendments must be unanimously voted for by the states
There was no control of interstate trade and states levied tariffs against each other
No standing army; states contributed troops as they felt it was important
States overprinted money, making it worthless (and money in one state wasn’t necessarily useable in another state)

4. You’re My Greatest Mistake…
So if there were all of these problems with the Articles, then why does The American Pageant argue that a stronger Articles of Confederation would have bad for the future of America?

5. I Throw My Hands Up in the Air Sometimes…Saying Hey, NO
I Throw My Hands Up in the Air Sometimes…Saying Hey, NO! I WON’T LET IT GO! (sorry for the bad editorializing of a bad song)
By 1786, there was a clear division of haves and have-nots
Some of the have-nots in Massachusetts decided it would be a good idea to try to burn Boston down…
…I’ll let you guess how that turned out…
Daniel Shays, a veteran of the Revolution, led his fellow farmers to fight for their land that was foreclosed upon
Shays demanded the state issue paper money, lighten taxes, and suspend property takeovers because they were broke and wanted to keep their land
Massachusetts raised a small army (with wealthy help) and put down the revolt

6. Let the Bodies Hit the Floor…
Why would the Massachusetts elite be willing to help put down Shays’s Rebellion?

7. It’s All About the Benjamins…
The 1st Constitutional Convention attempted to meet over the issue of commerce but only 5 states showed up
Alexander Hamilton said a new convention should meet the next year in NY to deal with the Articles as a whole (not just commerce)
Congress didn’t like Hamilton’s plan, but since 6 states had already appointed delegates, they called for the convention “for the sole and express purpose of revising” the Articles

8. Help! I Need Somebody Help!
Instead of revising the Articles, 55 conservative delegates from large and small states agreed to throw out the Articles and create a new constitution despite strict orders to revise it
Present-day Libertarians would view the Articles period as the pinnacle of American freedom, while those favoring a strong central government would see it as a failure. Why?
Which political party wanted a strong central government in the 1780s? Which party wanted less governmental control in the 1780s?

9. You Can’t Always Get What You Want
Virginia Plan: Large state plan where congressional members based on state population in a bicameral (2 house) Congress
New Jersey Plan: Small state plan where congressional members would be elected with equal representation per state in a unicameral (1 house) Congress
Great Compromise: A bicameral Congress would exist with one body (House of Representatives) based on population and one body (Senate) based on equal representation
We’ll get deeper into the Constitution tomorrow