SS4H5 The student will analyze the challenges faced by the new nation.

How did the strengths and weaknesses of the Articles of the Confederation affect the new nation?

Vocabulary Constitution – a written plan for government Citizen – an official member of a city, state, or nation Territory – land ruled by a national government but which has no representatives in that government Ordinance – a law

After the war: The American Revolution had won the 13 colonies the right for self- government. Each new state had a constitution to protect its’ citizens. Americans did not want to give up their power to a strong, central government.

Articles of Confederation The states needed to work together as one country. -In 1781, the Articles of Confederation made Congress the national government. **Each state had one vote in Congress What about the states that had more people in it than the other states? This was not fair to the people.

Articles Of Confederation Created a weak National government

** The states had more power than the national government. The states had a lot of power, but they couldn’t agree on anything. Who was in charge? **Congress could declare war, borrow and print money, and make treaties with other nations. **Congress could NOT start an army, create taxes, or control trade. It could declare war, but could not start an army without the states’ permission. What if there was an attack on the country? It could not create taxes, so how were they going to pay to run the government?

Articles Of Confederation Created a weak National government Could not make the states work together

Congress could make laws but they could not force states to obey them. What good are laws if they are not enforced? Congress could not make laws about trade. Countries need consistent trade laws to make sure trade is fair. There were many weaknesses with the Articles of Confederation!

Articles Of Confederation Gave Congress the power to declare war and make peace Congress could print and borrow money Congress could organize new territories Created a weak National government Could not make the states work together Congress could not set up an army, control trade, or create taxes

Northwest Territories Americans wanted to settle on land won in the Revolutionary War. Congress passed two ordinances to control what happened in the Northwest Territories.

The Land Ordinance of 1785 Explained how the land would be measured, divided, and sold. This was the beginning of settlers moving westward between the Appalachian Mts. And the Mississippi River.

The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 Described how a territory could become a state. It also outlawed slavery in the territories.

Problems for the New Nation Congress could not collect taxes. This meant they had no way to raise money to pay the banks, and other countries for the Revolutionary War. The states were not working together- they printed their own money and this made it hard to trade with each other and other countries.

State Taxes In Massachusetts, many farmers did not earn enough money to pay their debts and high state taxes. If the farmers did not pay, the state would take over ownership of their farm.

Shay’s Rebellion In 1786, Daniel Shays led a rebellion of armed farmers. They demanded more time to pay debts. The state militia stopped them. This rebellion showed that a weak national government could not keep order.

Is our Government Strong Enough? After Shay’s Rebellion, many people, including George Washington, were worried that the government was not strong enough to protect people’s rights. In February 1787, Congress invited state delegates to meet and change the Articles of Confederation to make the nation stronger.

How did the strengths and weaknesses of the Articles of the Confederation affect the new nation? Under the Articles of Confederation: Congress could: Congress could not: *declare war + peace*set up an army *deal with other nations*control trade *print and borrow money*raise money with taxes *organize new territories *force states to obey laws

A weak national government could not keep order. How could we make our nation stronger?