Essential Question: What were the long-term problems with the Articles of Confederation?

The American republic would be a more “enlightened” version of the Roman Senate When Americans declared independence in 1776, they needed to form a new government They wanted to form a republic where citizens vote for elected leaders to represent them They wanted to protect citizens & individual states from a powerful national government King George III

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 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)

This “confederation” style gov’t loosely connected the states under a weak national government

To pass a law, 9 of the 13 states had to agree 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 The national congress 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

Western Lands, 1783 Western Land Claims, 1783 The lands between the Appalachian Mountains & Mississippi River that were acquired from the British in 1783 were claimed by numerous states. Many of these land claims overlap. How should we solve this problem?

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

Western Land Claims Ceded by the States First, states had cede (give up) their claims to lands in the west to the national gov’t The “West” presented a problem: Many states had overlapping land claims in the West Some “landless” states (MD, NJ, DE) wanted part of West & refused to ratify the Articles without this issue resolved The US gov’t negotiated treaties with Indians to gain land in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky

Congress passed the Land Ordinance of 1785 to create an orderly way to divide the west into townships & farms 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

Northwest Ordinance of 1787 The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 gave government to the territories 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 Slavery was outlawed in the NW

Closure Questions The Articles of Confederation were created intentionally weak What powers does the national government have? What powers do the individual state governments have? What problems do you predict will occur because of these political weaknesses?

Essential Question: What were the long-term problems with the Articles of Confederation?

The Articles of Confederation was America’s 1st form of gov’t The weakness the national gov’t was originally seen as good because it eliminated tyranny Later, these same weaknesses kept the gov’t from solving serious national problems Confederation Government in New York City

Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation Activity

The inability of the government to collect taxes led to problems Confederation Government in New York City

America could not pay off debts from the Revolutionary War U.S. Trade with Britain, 1783-1789 America could not pay off debts from the Revolutionary War Debt

Shays’ Rebellion proved to be the convincing event that led to the Constitutional Convention of 1787 Property foreclosures led an 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

Closure Activity Review each of the following rebellions by explaining the cause & the impact of each rebellion: Stono Rebellion Bacon’s Rebellion Shays’ Rebellion Rank order these events from most important to least important