1. Weaknesses of the Articles of confederation
Unit 3, Lesson 2
Weaknesses of the Articles of confederation

2. What did the Articles get right??
Under the articles, the national government was able to:
Wage war against Great Britain
End the American Revolution with the Treaty of Paris
Provided that each state would recognize laws of the other states
Allowed freedom of movement between states
Marriage in one state was to be recognized in all states
Passed the Northwest Ordinance
Provided a means for new states to become recognized
Prohibited the westward expansion of slavery
Gave rights to western settlers in newly admitted states

3. National Government Could Not Tax
Problem
Congress could not collect taxes.
No taxes=no money to run the country.
States would not support the national government.
Implication
Answer: States would not support the national government. Without taxes there was no way to fund public services and the national government. Ask students to identify the types of services
Question for discussion: What would the United States be like if we were missing all of these things?

4. No taxes
Make it Modern!
If there was no power to tax (raise money to run the country), what would be missing in the United States today?
Answer: Taxes are used to provide highways and public transportation, roads, schools, prisons, law enforcement, parks, medical care (in some cases), welfare, fire departments, courts, libraries, and running the government.
Question for discussion: What would the United States be like if we were missing all of these things?

5. No Regulation of Trade Between the States
High trading taxes = difficulty trading goods = slow business = lost jobs
Conflict between states
Problem
National government could not regulate trade between states.
Implication
Answer: State trade relationships would be very tense. States could set their own regulations and taxes thus creating slow and expensive processes for trading, certain states might set a ban on trading with other states, states could prohibit the movement of goods through their state (creating geographical trade issues)

6. No Regulation of Trade Between the States
Make it Modern!
If the government could not regulate trade between the states, what would state relations be like?
Answer: State trade relationships would be very tense, like the international example. States could set their own regulations and taxes, thus creating slow and expensive processes for trading. If certain states set a ban on trading with other states, states could prohibit the movement of goods through their state (creating geographical trade issues).

7. No Regulation of Foreign Trade
Bad trading relations with other countries = no international trade
Conflict with other nations
Problem
Congress could not regulate foreign trade/commerce.
Implication

8. No Regulation of Foreign Trade
Make it Modern!
If the government could not regulate trade between nations and states could make individual agreements with other countries, what would international relations be like?
Answer: State trade relationships would be very tense, like the international example. States could set their own regulations and taxes, thus creating slow and expensive processes for trading. If certain states set a ban on trading with other states, states could prohibit the movement of goods through their state (creating geographical trade issues).

9. No Enforcement Power Problem
Congress had no power to enforce its own laws in the states
States did what they wanted to! Inconsistency!
Implication
Answer: Laws that impact the whole country would have no value if they were not enforced. For example, the requirement to pay taxes to the federal government would have no value under the Articles of Confederation.
Side note: there was no power to tax in order to fund law enforcement. This also made the enforcement of laws difficult to impossible.

10. No Enforcement Power Make it Modern!
If there was no enforcement of laws, what would the United States be like today?
Answer: Laws that impact the whole country would have no value if they were not enforced. For example, the requirement to pay taxes to the federal government would have no value under the Articles of Confederation.
Side note: There was no power to tax in order to fund law enforcement. This also made the enforcement of laws difficult to impossible.

11. No Judicial Branch/National Court System
No court system to handle national level issues
Interstate issues could not be solved
Federal laws but no federal courts?
No checks and balances
Problem
There was no judicial branch; no separate, national court system
Implication
Why could this be a problem even if the states had their own courts?
MISSING

12. No Judicial Branch/National Court System
Make it Modern!
If there were no national court system, what would the United States be like today?
Answer: We would have a confusing justice system with no one to settle disputes between states or check the laws of the national government. All cases would have to be handled between states, which becomes complicated since states have different laws and methods of handling disputes.

13. There was no separate executive branch for the central government
No Executive Branch
National government was powerless to enforce any laws it passed;
No President
No checks and balances
Problem
There was no separate executive branch for the central government
Implication ?
Answer: The United States would have no Commander in Chief of the military, ambassadors (representatives of the United States) to other countries, updates on the state of government, ability to override the laws of the legislative branch, appointment of judges to federal or the U.S. Supreme Court (neither of which would exist under the Articles).

14. No Executive Branch Make it Modern!
If there were no executive branch, what would the United States be like today?
Answer: The United States would have no Commander in Chief of the military, ambassadors (representatives of the United States) to other countries, updates on the state of government, ability to override the laws of the legislative branch, appointment of judges to federal courts or the U.S. Supreme Court (neither of which would exist under the Articles).

15. Unanimous Vote To Make Changes
Problem
The Articles required a unanimous vote to make changes to the Articles
Made it nearly impossible to make changes to the AOC
Implication
Answer: None of the amendements to the United States Constitution have ever passed with a unanimous vote. The exercise on the slide will show students which amendments we would be missing if it was required to have a unanimous vote to amend the U.S. Constitution.

16. Unanimous Vote To Make Changes
It required a unanimous vote to make changes to the Articles
This made it very difficult to make any changes to the Articles
Make it Modern!
If there were a requirement to reach a unanimous decision to amend the U.S. Constitution, what would the United States be like today?
Answer: None of the amendements to the United States Constitution have ever passed with a unanimous vote. The exercise on the slide will show students which amendments we would be missing if it was required to have a unanimous vote to amend the U.S. Constitution.
Using the handout provided, read the amendments in the United States Constitution that would not have been added if there had been a requirement for a unanimous decision to include that amendment. Select 3 amendments you think are the most important that have been added since the ratification of the Constitution and discuss what the United States would be like without those amendments.

17. Shays’ Rebellion
A postwar depression had left many small farmers unable to pay their debts and threatened with mortgage foreclosures.
In western Massachusetts, a small band of farmers led by Captain Daniel Shays undertook a series of armed attacks on courthouses to prevent judges from foreclosing on farms.

18. Shays’ Rebellion
Shays’ Rebellion was the fiercest outbreak of public discontent in the new nation and demonstrated the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation.
The rebellion convinced many states of the need for a stronger central government.

19. Change is Needed
As the economic and military weaknesses became apparent, people began asking for changes to the Articles of Confederation that would create a stronger national government.

20. Constitutional Convention
The intended purpose of the Constitutional Convention was to revise the Articles of Confederation
In 1787, the 55 delegates to the meeting debated abandoning the Articles and would ultimately discard them in favor of writing what would be the Constitution of the United States.
The link below will provide a 4 minute video from the History Channel: America Gets a Constitution (4 min) TV-PG
After several failed attempts at creating a government, a 1787 convention is called to draft a new legal system for the United States. This new Constitution provides for increased federal authority while still protecting the basic rights of its citizens.

21. Constitutional Convention
By abandoning the Articles, the delegation would write a Constitution that:
Created the 3 branches of government
Addressed the issue of states rights
Implemented a system for changing, or amending, the Constitution that did not require a unanimous vote
Protected the rights of the people
Gave power to the federal government to tax, regulate trade, enforce national laws, and more

22. The Road to the Constitution
U.S.
Constitution
No executive branch
No enforcement of laws
No tax
Unanimous vote to make changes
No judicial branch
No regulating trade
Articles of Confederation

23. Checking for Understanding