Level 2

Indirect representation : when elected officials elect higher officials Interstate commerce : trade between states Legislature: a law making body of government Tariff: a tax on imports Amendment: a change, deletion or addition to a document like a constitution Northwest Territory: unsettled land that now contains the states of Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana and Ohio that was gained after the Revolutionary War Land Ordinance of 1785: divided the land in the Northwest Territory Northwest Ordinance, 1787: a law that allowed for a government, civil liberties and eventual statehood for territories Civil Liberties: guaranteed rights of citizens Separation of Powers: power of government is divided into 3 branches (legislative, judicial, and executive) to prevent any person or group from gaining too much power Checks and Balances: each branch limits the power of the other branches

What were the accomplishments of the Articles of Confederation? What were the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation?

Indirect representation Each state chose delegates how they saw fit. The President of the Congress was then chosen by the delegates of the Continental Congress. President of Congress Alexander Hamilton

No coercive power; decisions more advisory than binding: Couldn’t collect revenue from states Couldn’t regulate interstate commerce Shays’ Rebellion:  armed rebellion in Massachusetts 1786  led by Cpt. Daniel Shay  protested economic policies and farm foreclosures due to the inability to pay taxes to the state  militia ended it  effected the writing of the Constitution Couldn’t enforce the Treaty of Paris obligations  Repayment of debts  Return of confiscated property to Loyalists States held more power than the central government Shay’s Rebellion by Stan Mack

Lack of national executive and judicial functions Only one branch of government which was the legislative Could only create resolutions, determinations and regulations even with stated powers States held the law making legislatures, judicial and the executive functions

Lack of taxing power Couldn’t levy taxes Could only request money from states to run the central government to repay foreign debts Other countries placed tariffs and trade restrictions on US goods; the US was not able to that

Difficulty in passing legislation 2/3rds of votes from Congress to pass legislation (9/13) Amendments had to have unanimous support from the states

Land Ordinance of 1785: divided the land in the Northwest Territory North of the Ohio River 6 sq. miles made a township 36 subdivision of 640 acres 640 acres was the minimum amount of land one could purchase Sold at auction for $1.00/acre Revenue would be used to pay off national debt Sale of one section would support public education Problems:  Land speculators bought most of the land and then sold it off in smaller pieces because farmers couldn’t afford $  Native tribes who lived in the territory were ignored. Conflicts between the Natives and land companies continued into the 1790s

Northwest Ordinance, 1787: combined federalism, republicanism and regard for civil liberties States could be made out of the Northwest Territory Must hold at least 265,000 sq. miles When there was population of more than 5,000 adult males they could create:  Elected house of legislatures  Legislative council  Governor and Judges appointed by Congress When 60,000 free people lived in the territory they could:  Elect delegates to write a constitution  Elect and appoint state government officials  Apply for statehood  If their constitution was accepted by Congress, they would become a state

Developed the privileges and immunities of citizenship Guaranteed six civil liberties and rights for the Northwest Territory  Freedom of religion  Writ of habeas corpus  Trial by jury  Protection of property  No cruel and unusual punishment  Sanctity of contracts  Also…  Encouraged free public education  Encouraged respect of Indian lands  Slavery prohibited but was only accepted at the Constitutional Convention by the South when it added the Fugitive Slave law applied in the Northwest Territory and that slavery could expand west, south of the Ohio River

Developed the concept of limited government Experimented with a weak central government with no real power Influenced the idea for the separation of powers and checks and balances in the US Constitution

What were the accomplishments of the Articles of Confederation? What were the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation?