3.1 – Experimenting with Confederation

US of A! Colonies became states but… Most people were loyal to their states, instead of the nation of the “The United States of America.” Reluctant to give up state’s power to a central government Just rebelled against an over-powerful king How do you balance the interest of the state with the interests of a nation?

State Constitutions Constitution - the system of beliefs and laws by which a country, state, or organization is governed Each state wrote similar constitutions Emphasized LIBERTY rather than equality Outlined citizen rights (freedom of speech, religion, press)Limited power given to leaders Fear of centralized authority Limited power given to state leaders Outlined voting rights Limited to white males (some states required property ownership) No voting for women or blacks (NJ – women who owned property could vote until 1807)

Continental Congress Debates Continental Congress was debating key questions during the American Revolution… How much power should “the people” have? State representation based on population or state? Who gets new western lands? Can power be shared between a federal government and state governments?

Democracy vs Republic How much power should “the people” have? Government directly by the people Pro – the people’s voice is heard for every decision Cons –very tedious, too much power in the hands of the uneducated masses Government in which citizens rule though elected representatives Pros – less tedious, educated people in office Cons – representatives don’t always act in favor of their constituents.

Democracy vs Republic Compromise - the Continental Congress chose a mix of both… Democracy – each state’s legislature was elected directly by the people of the state Republic – each state legislature would appoint delegates to serve in Congress to represent the state’s interests Continental Congress State legislatures appoint delegates to Congress State citizens elect representatives to the state legislatures Republic Democracy

Representation by Population or State? States equal as political entities BUT have many differences… Size Population Wealth Concerning the number of appointed delegates representing each state in Congress… Compromise – Each state gets 1 vote in Congress (decided on by 2-7 delegates per state depending on state population). Should more populous states get more delegates and votes? Should each state get the same number of delegates and votes?

Western Lands Conflicts between states over new western lands Some states had land that stretched to the Mississippi River Landlocked states worried that larger states would become more powerful

Western Lands Compromise – All land was given to Congress and they passed… Land Ordinance of 1785 - plan for mapping and selling the land between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River

Western Lands Compromise – All land was given to Congress and they passed… 1 Each territory appointed a Governor by Congress 2 Reach 5,000 voting residents Write temporary Constitution Elect government officials 3 Reach 60,000 free residents Write state Constitution Congress approve Constitution = STATE! Northwest Ordinance of 1787 – procedure for dividing western lands into territories which would later become states

Western Lands Land Ordinance of 1785 – how to map and divide land Northwest Ordinance of 1787 – how to make territories into states BLUEPRINTS FOR GROWTH!!

Shared Power Between Federal and State Governments Who should have more power? Compromise - Delegates decided to form a confederation of states where the power would be shared among the states and federal government. Confederation – alliance or union of political bodies States more powerful? Federal government more powerful?

Shared Power Between Federal and State Governments Delegates got the idea for a confederation from an alliance of Native tribes called the Iroquois Confederacy Alliance between 5 separate tribes across New York state that during the 1600s-1700s Also called the Iroquois Nations or the Iroquois League Constitution of the Iroquois Confederacy outlined principles such as: Separation of powers Checks and balances Separation of religion and state Federalism (sharing of power) Women’s suffrage Welfare

Shared Power Between Federal and State Governments FEDERAL Powers CAN Declare war, make peace Sign treaties Regulate international/Native trade CANNOT Levy (set) taxes on citizens Regulate trade between states STATE Powers CAN Levy (set) taxes on state citizens Regulate trade with other states CANNOT Declare war

“Let our government be like that of the solar system. Let the general government be like the sun, and the states the planets, repelled yet attracted, and the whole moving regularly and harmoniously in their several orbits.” - From The Records of the Federal Convention of 1787 Federal gov’t Holds the states together in a confederation States Move independently of each other, but share a larger union

The Articles of Confederation The Articles of Confederation – 1781, document that outlined the roles of the federal and state governments. Included articles (sections) describing all of the compromises decided upon in the Continental Congress.

Trouble in Paradise: Political Problems Confederation lacked national unity! Each state pursued its own interests, rather than the nation’s interests. States were scared that a strong central gov’t that might abuse them. Regardless of population size, each state = 1 vote in Congress. Angered more populous states like VA and MA. Articles of Confederation could not be amended (changed) AND federal laws could not be made without a unanimous vote. VERY difficult to get all states to agree.

Trouble in Paradise: Economic Problems Congress DEEP in debt due to Revolutionary War Borrowed from wealthy investors and foreign nations Printed too much money  worthless currency Articles of Confederation banned the federal government (Congress) from taxing the citizens No way to gain revenue (money) to pay debts! Congress tried to approve a tariff (tax on imported goods), but RI refused  without unanimous approval, the tariff failed.

Trouble in Paradise: Economic Problems Inflation was high after the American Revolution and there was much debate on how to address it. Debtors Creditors Borrowers Wanted an increase in paper money  lower the value of money Pay off debts with cheap money Lenders Wanted a decrease in paper money  increase the value of money Get more money from debtors

Trouble in Paradise: Shays’s Rebellion During the war, wealthy people loaned money to the states. After the war, the wealthy people wanted the states to impose high taxes on the citizens so the gov’t could raise the revenue to pay back their loans. Many farmers couldn’t pay these high taxes  courts approved farm foreclosures (when the gov’t takes your property if you can’t pay taxes, loans, debts, etc)  ANGRY farmers

Trouble in Paradise: Shays’s Rebellion Daniel Shays Farmer, Revolutionary War veteran ANGRY because he can’t pay the high taxes in MA Courts continued to approve foreclosures of farms in MA September 1786-January 1787 - Shays’s Rebellion a series of revolts led by former Revolutionary War captain Daniel Shays to prevent judges in Massachusetts from foreclosing on the farms of farmers who could not pay taxes the state had levied

Trouble in Paradise: Shays’s Rebellion In January 1797, Shays organized a militia of 1,200 to march to the arsenal at Springfield, MA with the goal of taking the weapons and marching on the courthouse in Springfield. At the arsenal, state officials disbanded the mob, 4 rebels killed

Trouble in Paradise: Shays’s Rebellion Why is Shays’s Rebellion significant? Proved that the nation needed a STRONG CENTRAL gov’t! Showed that there were LARGE problems with the way state governments and the “federal” government operated under the Articles of Confederation Highlighted the difficulties facing the disjointed nation as the states were no longer unified in fighting a common enemy like in the war. Many people began to think that the new national experiment was doomed to fail.

Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation No central unity No president or central leader to enforce laws No national court system to resolve disputes Congress cannot tax citizens to pay debts Each state = 1 vote in a one-house legislature (regardless of population) Major decisions = 2/3 approval (war, etc) Amendments (changes) to the document, including federal laws = all 13 approval SOMETHING NEEDS TO CHANGE!

Shay’s Rebellion Video