Articles of Confederation -or- Fear of Tyranny and The Failure of the Confederation

The Story So Far… Columbus had found the way to America France, Spain, and Great Britain sent colonists Two centuries went by. Great Britain claimed all of North America east of the Mississippi River. It had thirteen colonies. The people who lived in the thirteen colonies paid taxes to Great Britain. Great Britain told them what to do. Soon the colonists felt that Great Britain made them pay too many taxes. It did not let them trade freely.

The Story So Far…cont The colonists wanted independence from Great Britain. They began to fight. This war is called the American Revolutionary War. The first government was the Second Continental Congress

Which leads to United States establishing the

Main Points of the Articles American fears which ensured the ineffectiveness of any national government created at the time Inherent weaknesses of structure of the United States' first national government The few successes of the Articles and their legacy The domestic problems facing the Confederation Government The inability of the Confederation Government to rectify these problems

What are the Articles? They combined the colonies of the American Revolutionary War into a loose confederation. The second Continental Congress adopted the Articles on November 15, 1777, after 16 months of debate. The Articles then languished for another three years before ratification was completed on March 1, The Articles were replaced by the United States Constitution on May 23, 1788, when the 9th state, Maryland, ratified the Constitution.

What were American’s Fearful of in 1781? It was cautious about giving new government powers it had just denied Parliament Too strong of a Central Government (e.g. King)

Structure (these are poor) One house congress - equal (state) representation results in small state dominance and large state embitterment 9-4 vote to pass legislation results in few bills passing into law/sectionalism stifles legislation Unanimous vote to amend Articles makes needed adjustments impossible No executive branch

Two Major Problems No power to regulate commerce – resulted in conflicts between states. Could not enforce its tax- collection program.

More Major Problems Congress could only request money from the states The states did not generally comply with the requests in full, leaving the confederation chronically short of funds. The states and the national congress had both incurred debts during the war, and paying congressional debts became a major issue.

Even More Problems Congress was limited on regulating military and monetary affairs –no mechanism to ensure states complied with requests for troops or revenue

Major Weaknesses No enforcement of own laws/forced to depend on state enforcement No leadership leaves United States with no singular direction No national courts Arbitration of state problems - only when both states accept. trade disputes unsettled - river navigation wars

Overall Weaknesses Difficult for the government to raise money through taxes and duties A farmers’ revolt in Massachusetts against the collection of state taxes (Shay’s Rebellion) –Reminded many Americans the national government was too weak States refusing to honor the Treaty of Paris Worthless paper money printed by many states States restricting trade with one another

Successes and Legacy Articles of Confederation provided stability during the American Revolutionary War years. The Treaty of Paris (1783) The Land Ordinance of 1785 –ownership provisions used throughout later American expansion –provided for surveying and selling western lands separated into townships and sectional plots for sale (640 acres) –land sales allotted to establish public education criteria for statehood established Northwest Ordinance 1787 –calls for the admission of no more than 5 states –outlaws slavery in the new territories

The Demise Annapolis Convention (1786) – Principle purpose: Set to settle issue of interstate commerce. –Only 5 states showed up –Alexander Hamilton gained a commitment to call upon Congress to summon a convention the next year in Philadelphia. –The purpose would be to overhaul the Articles of Confederation.