1. Articles of Confederation
Our First Government

2. Our First form of Government
States retained most of the power and the central government had a very limited role in the governing process.
Loyalty most citizens had was to their state first and foremost.

3. Powers Under the Articles of Confederation
Declare war and make peace
Enter into treaties and alliances
Establish Army and Navy
Requisition men and money from states
Financial
Regulate coinage
Borrow money
Fix uniform weights and measures
Other
Create admiralty courts
Create a postal system
Adjudicate disputes between states

4. Accomplishments under the Articles
States gave up claims to western lands
Maryland then signed AC
Northwest Ordinance of 1787
Abolished land claims
Set up procedures for new states
Abolished slavery in NW territory
Education laws

6. Weaknesses of the Articles
Lacked power to:
Compel states to obey Treaties it negotiated
Compel states to meet military needs
Regulate interstate commerce and foreign commerce
Collect taxes directly from people
Compel states to meet financial obligations of govt.
Provide a sound monetary system
Unanimous vote to amend
9 out of 13 approval on new laws

7. Shay’s Rebellion
Central government could do little to maintain peace and order.
States bickered with each other.
1784 financial crisis – banks calling in loans, states demanded taxes
Daniel Shays began disrupting trials of debtors
Attempted to seize a military arsenal
Effort failed.

8. Shay’s Rebellion
Demonstrated that the government could not protect citizens from armed rebellion
This event caused the nation’s leaders to take action to continue with the American experiment.
Daniel Shay

9. Constitutional Convention
Meeting called to ‘revise’ the Articles of Confederation.
Members saw the serious weaknesses
Issues:
Relationships among the states and national government
Powers of the national legislature
Need for executive leadership
Need for economic stability

10. Constitutional Convention
Fifty-five men attended and about 40 participated actively
33 were lawyers
3 physicians
50% College graduates
7 former governors
6 plantation owners
8 business men

11. Constitutional Convention
Procedural rules
Agreed to maintain total secrecy
Simple majority present to conduct business
Simple majority would move a motion forward
James Madison – ‘father of Constitution’ kept personal journal about Convention.

12. Factions rear their ugly head!
Alexander Hamilton supported near- monarchism
Some decentralized republicanism
George Washington and Ben Franklin wanted stronger central government
Some left when they realized federalist tone of meeting

13. Summary Questions
Detail the Articles of Confederation and some of its weaknesses.