Essential Question: What were the long-term problems with the Articles of Confederation? USH Agenda for Unit 3.1: Articles of Confederation notes

When independence was declared, the 13 colonies became independent states Each state had its own constitution, legislature, & an elected governor; 8 states had Bills of Rights They wanted to protect citizens & individual states from a powerful national gov’t But, the USA needed a national gov’t to do things that states could not, like sign treaties & form a military America’s 1st national gov’t was the Articles of Confederation (1777-1789)

Powers of the national gov’t Each state could send between 2-7 representatives to the national congress, but each state had only 1 vote To pass a law, 9 of the 13 states had to agree Confederation Government in New York City Powers of the national gov’t The national gov’t could make laws, settle disputes between states, negotiate treaties, handle Indian affairs, oversee a military But all other powers were left up to the states

So, the national gov’t had Americans did not want to re-create a powerful gov’t like the one they just fought the Revolutionary War to break away from So, the national gov’t had no president & could not tax the states or citizens Confederation Government in New York City

The Articles established a good system of settling western lands The United States, 1783 Areas of Settlement, 1783 The Articles established a good system of settling western lands

Congress passed the Land Ordinance of 1785 to create an orderly way to survey and organize the land into townships Selling western lands was the only way the national gov’t could generate money since it did not have the power to tax

Section 16 of the each township was set aside for a public school Land Ordinance of 1785 Section 16 of the each township was set aside for a public school The national gov’t was placing an emphasis on public education

Northwest Ordinance of 1787 The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 established how new states would be created in the west When a territory had 5,000 residents, it could create a self-governing legislature When a territory had 60,000 residents, it could apply to become a U.S. state 4 states gave up their claims to land in this area NY, VA, CT, MA Slavery was outlawed in the NW

Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation

The inability of the government to collect taxes led to problems Confederation Government in New York City Congress could not enforce its laws No executive branch of gov’t

All 13 states had to agree for an amendment to be made Only 1 vote per state 9 of 13 states had to agree to create a law Confederation Government in New York City All 13 states had to agree for an amendment to be made No national court system (states)

Strengths of the Articles of Confederation Could declare war and make peace Coin and borrow money (but no national currency) Deal with foreign countries and sign treaties In 1786, nearly 2,000 debtor farmers in western Massachusetts were threatened with foreclosure of their mortgaged property. The state legislature had voted to pay off the state's Revolutionary War debt in three years; between 1783 and 1786, taxes on land rose more than 60 percent. Desperate farmers demanded a cut in property taxes and adoption of state laws to postpone farm foreclosures. The lower house of the state legislature passed relief measures in 1786, but creditors persuaded the upper house to reject the package. When lower courts started to seize the property of farmers such as Daniel Shays, a Revolutionary War veteran, western Massachusetts farmers temporarily closed the courts and threatened a federal arsenal. Although the rebels were defeated by the state militia, they were victorious at the polls. A new legislature elected early in 1787 enacted debt relief. By the spring of 1787, many national leaders believed that the new republic's survival was at risk. The threat of national bankruptcy, commercial conflicts among the states, Britain's refusal to evacuate military posts, Spanish intrigues on the western frontier, and armed rebellion in western Massachusetts underscored the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation. The only solution, many prominent figures were convinced, was to create an effective central government led by a strong chief executive. Operate post offices

Shays’ Rebellion showed the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and led to the creation of the Constitutional Convention Property foreclosures led to uprising among Massachusetts farmers called Shays’ Rebellion in 1787 but the gov’t could not pay for an army to stop it Poor farmers in western MA were angered over high taxes & prospect of debtors jail In 1786, nearly 2,000 debtor farmers in western Massachusetts were threatened with foreclosure of their mortgaged property. The state legislature had voted to pay off the state's Revolutionary War debt in three years; between 1783 and 1786, taxes on land rose more than 60 percent. Desperate farmers demanded a cut in property taxes and adoption of state laws to postpone farm foreclosures. The lower house of the state legislature passed relief measures in 1786, but creditors persuaded the upper house to reject the package. When lower courts started to seize the property of farmers such as Daniel Shays, a Revolutionary War veteran, western Massachusetts farmers temporarily closed the courts and threatened a federal arsenal. Although the rebels were defeated by the state militia, they were victorious at the polls. A new legislature elected early in 1787 enacted debt relief. By the spring of 1787, many national leaders believed that the new republic's survival was at risk. The threat of national bankruptcy, commercial conflicts among the states, Britain's refusal to evacuate military posts, Spanish intrigues on the western frontier, and armed rebellion in western Massachusetts underscored the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation. The only solution, many prominent figures were convinced, was to create an effective central government led by a strong chief executive. Daniel Shays led an uprising & closed debt courts & threatened a federal arsenal

America’s First National Government: The Articles of Confederation After Shays’ Rebellion, people like Hamilton & Madison began calling for a stronger national gov’t In 1787, delegates met in Philadelphia to discuss ways to improve the Articles Instead of revising the Articles of Confederation, the delegates replaced it with the Constitution 34a - explain how weaknesses in the Articles of Confederation and Daniel Shays' Rebellion led to a call for a stronger central government This became known as the Constitutional Convention (1787)