The Government under the Articles of Confederation

Accomplishments – Land Ordinances  Western Land not governed by a state, so what should they do?  Land Ordinance of 1785  Northwest Ordinance of 1787

Political Problems  There were 13 separate states that lacked national unity  Each state had only one vote in Congress, regardless of Population  Nine out of 13 states needed to agree to pass any law  Articles could be amended only if ALL states approved  There was no executive branch to enforce laws of Congress  There was no national court system to settle legal disputes

Economic Problems  Huge wartime debts  Congress could not enact and collect taxes  Congress could not regulate interstate or foreign trade

Foreign Problems  Hard time defending themselves, b/c central gov. not strong and could not raise an army = insufficient power to deal with problems.  Britain still occupied forts by Great Lakes, since US did not pay back debt or compensate loyalists  Britain refused to negotiate trade  Spain closed the Mississippi to US navigation, hurt Western farmers