1. Chapter 9 Section 1 & 2 Section 1 & 2
With the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the Treaty of Paris there now was a need to set up a form of government for the American people.
Section 1 & 2

2. “The American war is over: but this is far from being
the case with the American Revolution. On the contrary, nothing but the first act of the great drama is closed.
It remains yet to establish and perfect our new government…” Benjamin Rush
This reflected many Americans feelings on the American Revolution. Rush was a respected doctor that set up the nations first free clinic. He was very outspoken and earlier he convinced Thomas Paine to write his pamphlet, Common Sense.
Why do you think Rush and many Americans felt this way?

3. A Confederation of States
In May 1776, the Continental Congress asked each colony to set up a government to protect the “lives, liberties, and properties” of its citizens.
A constitution is a document that sets out the laws, principles, organization and processes of a government.

4. States wanted a constitution for two reasons.
First, it would spell out all the rights of all citizens.
Secondly, it would set limits on the power of government.

5. Colonists were concerned about putting too much power in the hands of a few people.
To avoid this they divided the powers of government between two branches.
(1) Legislative, or lawmaking branch.
(2) Executive, that executed or carried out laws.

6. State governments were similar
Every state had a voters elected legislature that passed laws and an executive that executed laws.
All states except Pennsylvania had a (3) governor, who executed, or carried out the laws.

7. The state constitutions also expanded the right to vote
The state constitutions also expanded the right to vote. Now under the constitution you could vote if you were a white male over the age of 21. Women and (4) African Americans could not vote.
By 1804 every state north of Maryland had
passed laws freeing enslaved African
Americans.

8. Rights of Citizens
Most states included a Bill of Rights in its constitution.
The bill of rights provided the right to trail by (5) jury and freedom of the (6) press.
A bill of rights lists freedoms that the government promises to protect.

9. Forming a National Government
Although the states have formed 13 separate governments, the Continental Congress drafted a (7) national constitution for the nation as a whole. In order for America to be successful all of the states must be united by a national government.
Annuit Coeptis = Providence Has Favored Our Undertakings Novus Ordo Seclorum = A New Order of the Ages

10. Writing a constitution that all the states would approve was difficult.
The states were unwilling to turn over their power to a national government.
After many debates, the Continental Congress completed the first American Constitution, the (8) Articles of Confederation.

11. The first dispute - Western Lands
It was not until 1781 that all the states approved, or (9) ratified the nation’s first constitution.
The long delay resulted from disagreements on lands between the (10) Appalachian Mountains and the (11) Mississippi River.

12. The new government was made weak because the states feared a strong central government like the British monarch and (12) Parliament.

13. Under the Articles of Confederation:
States would send delegates to a (13) Confederation Congress to vote on proposals.
2. Congress would pass the laws, but at least 9 of the 13 states had to approve of the law before it can pass.
3. Congress could not pass taxes, the states had control over taxes.
4. Congress had the right to declare war, appoint military officers, and create and control coin money.

14. Each state, no matter what its size, had only
one vote in (14) Congress, a provision the larger
states felt was unfair.

15. Since Congress could not levy or collect
(15) taxes, the states were expected to
supply the money to finance a war or pay
for the activities of the national government,
but Congress had no way to force them to
send it…!

16. United States of America Articles of Confederation
No national authority existed with the Articles.
United States of America
Articles of Confederation

17. The Confederation Era
The Articles set up a form of government in which representatives are elected to govern on behalf of the people. This is known as a (1) republic government.

18. A farsighted Policy for Western Lands
Before 1783, people established claims to land in the West by simply (2) settling on it. Congress didn’t send troops to protect the settlers because (4) they did not have enough money to provide troops.
The Articles of the Confederation said nothing about admitting new states to the United States but there was a need for government in the Northwest Territory.
To meet this need Congress passed two laws. Here are the two laws:
Map of the Northwest Territory after the Northwest Ordinance of 1787.

19. • Land Ordinance of 1785 – (3) this law set up a more orderly system for settling the Northwest Territory. The law called for the territory to be divided into sections or townships.
• (5) Congress would then sell the land to settlers and use the revenue to create a public school system.

20. Northwest Ordinance
The (6) Northwest Ordinance law set up the government of the Northwest Territory. When the population in a territory or section reached 60,000 they can apply to the United States to become a state. This law (7) prohibited slavery in these lands.
In time five states were carved out of the Northwest Territory. The new states were Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin.

21. Economic Problems
The biggest problem that the states faced was money. After the Revolution, the nation suffered an (8) economic depression.
As a result of borrowing during the Revolution, the United States owed millions of dollars and had no way to pay its debts.
Under the Articles of Confederation, Congress would ask for money to repay these debts. However, the states had the right to turn down the requests of Congress.
An economic depression is a period when business activity slows, prices and wages fall, and unemployment rises.

22. During the Revolution congress solved their problems by printing paper money called Continental dollars. (9) Without gold or silver to back up the paper money, the paper money retained little or no value. As the Continental dollars became worthless the (10) states printed up their own paper money. The problem with this was that most states refused to accept money from another state making trade between states difficult.

23. A Farmers Revolt
The depression hit the farmers hard. During the Revolution the demand for farm products was high. The farmers were eager to produce more food. They borrowed money to buy more land, seed and animals. As the soldiers returned to their homes the demand for farm goods fell. (11) Many farmers could not repay their loans. The banks and courts seized the farms of the people that did not repay their loans.

24. In 1786 the unhappy farmers flared into a rebellion
In 1786 the unhappy farmers flared into a rebellion. They were determined to save their debt-ridden farms.
Daniel Shays, an unhappy farmer gathered a force of 2,000 farmers and led them into a rebellion attacking court houses and preventing the sale of their property for payment of debts.

25. Uprising - Shays' Rebellion.
When they tried to raid a warehouse full of rifles and Gunpowder the Massachusetts army drove them off.
(12) Americans were alarmed and frightened that the new government would not last.
The armed confrontation between Daniel Shays' rebels and government troops before the arsenal at Springfield, Massachusetts, on 26 January 1787:

26. George Washington spoke out on behalf of the farmers.
He felt that the Articles of Confederation had to be changed to help meet the needs of the farmers during this crisis.
On May 1787 the leaders of several states met to discuss this issue in a convention.