Essential Question: What were the long-term problems with the Articles of Confederation? CPUSH Agenda for Unit 3.1: Clicker Preview Questions Articles of Confederation notes Today’s HW: 5.1 Unit 3 Test: September 24

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 to 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?