 What powers were granted & denied to the national govt under the Articles of Confederation?

Chapter 8 Section 1 Pt I

 When the Continental Congress met in 1776, they began to plan the new national govt.  The delegates agreed that the govt. should be a republic  However, disagreements btwn large & small states were common  Small states claimed each state should have one vote  Large states argued that voting should be based on population

 Delegates also argued over claims in the lands west of the Appalachians  This largely unsettled land was known, at the time, as the “Northwest Territory”  Several states that bordered this unsettled land claimed it as their own including:  VA, NC, SC, GA  Even states that DID NOT share a border also claimed western lands including:  NY, CT, MA  These claims caused major controversy amongst the states

 The Cont. Congress, after much debate, finally approved the first plan for the new govt. in 1781  The Articles of Confederation would be run by a “Confederation Congress”  The Congress would be made up of freely elected representatives from each of the 13 states  Each state received one vote

 The states left the following powers to the Congress: 1. Conduct foreign affairs 2. Declare war & make peace 3. Issue or borrow money 4. Control Western territories 5. Manage Native American affairs 6. Run the postal service

 The Confed. Congress, however, was severely limited b/c it lacked the power to: 1. Establish an Executive Branch (No President) 2. Enforce national laws 3. Enact and collect taxes 4. Regulate trade 5. Establish federal courts 6. Amend the Articles of Confed.  All these powers were reserved for the states & their govts  This left the CC w/o sufficient power to govern effectively  In essence, the states mirrored Europe (small nation- states that all competed with one another)

 The Confederation Congress adeptly wrote laws on the division & governing of the newly acquired territories known as the Land Ordinance of 1785  This law stipulated that surveyors would stake out six square-mile plots, called townships, in these lands  Each township would be split into 36 square- mile plots, which could be purchased for $640/ plot

 The law passed by the Confed. Congress that set up the governing of the NW Territory became known as the NW Ordinance  The law possessed many democratic features: 1. When each territory had 5,000 adult males, men who owned 50 acres of land could elect an assembly 2. When the pop. reached 60,000 people, the territory could apply to become a state - Slavery was outlawed - River travel was open to all - Freedom of religion & trial by jury were guaranteed

 One major issue the Confed. Congress had was an inability to levy taxes  The national govt. relied on the states for $, often which the states were not willing to send  This issue came to a head in a major way in Jan 1787 in MA  MA’s refusal to grant debt relief to its citizens led to an uprising known as Shays’ Rebellion  Led by former CA soldier, Daniel Shays, his followers marched on a federal arsenal, or weapons warehouse  Shays & his men were quickly met and dispersed by 1000 state militia

 Which of the following had the most power under the Articles of Confederation? a. National Govt b. State Govts c. Federalists d. Anti-Federalists

 Under the A of C, Congress could not tax. How did this weaken the national govt? a. Congress could not borrow $ b. Congress could not settle disputes btwn the states c. Congress could not issue $ d. It made Congress dependent on the states for $