1. Articles of Confederation
the first written plan of government for the US.
A confederation is an union of 13 states that cooperate for a common purpose (friendshipI
The government was made weak on purpose , because of American fears of a strong central government (result of trouble with GB)

2. Under the Articles of Confederation
Each state had one Vote in Congress (it took 9 votes to pass something)
Congress could
Declare war
Raise army and navy
Print money
Set up postal system
Congress could not
End disagreements between states (no Court)
It was difficult to change (amend) the Articles
Could not collect taxes
Could not pay off debts

3. Accomplishments Under the Articles
Land Ordinance of law passed that organized the Northwest Territory for sale
Land was divided in to townships 6 sq. miles,
townships were divided into 36 sections:
one section in each township was set aside for a public school and the other were sold.
Addressed the issue of dividing western lands

4. Accomplishments Continued
Northwest Ordinance- a law passed by Congress in 1787 that specified how western lands would be governed
When 5,000 free adult men lived in the territory it could elect a legislature
When the population reached 60,000 the territory could apply for statehood
Settlers had same rights as other citizens
Slavery was banned
This law helped stop the spread of slavery to the west

5. Failure Under the Articles
Money Trouble
Paper money was worthless (no gold or silver to mint into coin)
Each state printed it’s own money (states disagreed about the value) made trade between states difficult)

6. Failures Continued
Shay’s Rebellion – Farmers shut down the courts in Massachusetts to stop land and livestock from being taken because farmers could not pay debts and taxes.
showed that the government could not stop internal rebellions
viewed as a sign that the nation was failing under the Articles of Confederation, and they needed to be revised
led to the creation of the Constitution (stronger central government)