On the back….vocab

On the back … Vocab Unicameral One house Bicameral Two houses CONGRESS— Senate House of Representatives

Articles of Confederation Our training wheels government!

I. 1. Loose Friendship

United States of America Articles of Confederation

2. How The Articles Worked A. “in the United States in Congress assembled, each State shall have one vote.” 1 State - 1 Vote Sounds fair, right?

Okay…except that…. “No State shall be represented in Congress by less than two, nor more than seven members” And all these people must agree on what their state is going do for the ONE vote.

What this meant: 2 to 7 representatives for each state – up to 91 people

“...unless nine States assent to the same…” 9 of 13 to add/change laws

b. Still another problem… “No alterations can be made to the Articles without the agreement of Congress and the confirmation by each of the state legislatures.” 13 of 13 to add/change/amend Articles Can 91 people agree on anything???

So….did they work?????

II. Successes 1. Ended War with Great Britain (Treaty of Paris 1783) 2. Gave us Northwest Land Ordinances of 1785 & 1787 3. Some SORT of Government

2a. Northwest Land Ordinances 1785-1787 Dividing western lands The territory was divided into 10 districts. Land Ordinance of 1785 Land would be surveyed and divided into a neat grid of townships, each 6 miles square. Each township had 36 sections, each 1 mile square. Government owned four of the sections. One section would be sold to support public schools. This same regular grid was used in other territories. It ended many boundary disputes.

2b. Northwest Land Ordinances 1785-1787 Guaranteed in writing: Freedom of Religion NO Slavery in the Northwest Land territories

3. Articles of Confederation Our training wheels government! (Some sort)

III. Why did the Articles of Confederation fail? I. Currency Issues The United States did not have a common currency. Americans carried money from the federal government, state government, and foreign nations.

Pieces of Eight…..SPANISH Silver The “half” dollar and the “quarter”

Merchants stopped accepting money from outside of their own state, causing a lot of money to become worthless. This caused an increase in inflation.

III. Why did the Articles of Confederation fail? 2. Debt Congress could not tax the people and depended on money from the states. “ ….all charges of war and all other expenses…shall be defrayed out of a common treasury which shall be supplied by the several states.” No enforcement! No…consequences for what if the states don’t pay. Therefore, the U.S. was unable to pay its debts!

Debt Examples: The U.S. owed money to France, Holland, and Spain for loans made during the Revolutionary War. And even England for the French and Indian War Debt. - The U.S. had not paid many of their own soldiers!

III. Why did the Articles of Confederation fail? 3. International and Domestic Problems The U.S. lacked the military power to defend itself against Great Britain and Spain. States acted as individual countries and seldom agreed. Example: - Connecticut and Virginia almost went to war over land claims!

III. Why did the Articles of Confederation fail? ORGANIZATION!!!!!

III Why did the Articles of Confederation fail? President (Executive Branch) The nation did not have a President, or Chief Executive. The “President” was only the president of Congress…not of the nation. AND…he was elected every year. White House

Why did the Articles of Confederation fail? Courts (Judicial Branch) The nation lacked a national court system. So who was to take charge when two states got into an argument? Supreme Court

Why did the Articles of Confederation fail? Congress (Legislative Branch) Congress had one house. (unicameral) Laws were difficult to pass, needing the approval of nine states. Congress was responsible to the states, not the people. Congress had power to collect taxes, regulate trade, coin money, or establish a military IF they could agree. Capitol Building