1. Chapter 3: The Constitution
Lesson 1: The Country’s First Government

2. State Constitutions
Each of the thirteen states had its own constitution
Constitution: a detailed written plan for government
Each constitution created three branches of government: governor, legislature, and courts
Most of the legislature were bicameral, or a legislature consisting of two parts or houses
Each constitution included a bill of rights
The list guaranteed the basic freedoms and legal protection that the state’s citizens would enjoy

3. The Article of Confederation
The Second Continental Congress planned for a confederation of states
Confederation: a group of individuals or state government
Article of Confederation: the first constitution of the United States
Established a “league of friendship” among independent states
By 1781 all 13 states had ratified, or approved, the Articles

4. The Northwest Ordinances
The Confederation Congress passed two laws, or ordinances, that would have a major effect on the history of the United States
Ordinance: a law, usually of a city or county
Ordinance of 1785: a law that set up a plan for surveying western lands
It divided the land into townships six miles square
Each township was further divided into 36 sections, each one mile square.
Northwest Ordinance: 1787 law that set up a government for the Northwest Territory and a plan for admitting new states to the Union

5. Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation
Lack of Power and Money
Congress had no power to collect taxes
Congress had no power to regulate trade
Congress had no power to enforce its laws

6. Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation
Lack of central power
No single leader or group directed government policy
No national court system existed

7. Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation
Rules too Rigid
Congress could not pass laws without the approval of 9 states
The Articles could not be changed without the agreement of all 13 states

8. Shay’s Rebellion
Shay’s Rebellion: an uprising of Massachusetts farmers who did not want to lose their farms because of debt caused by heavy state taxes after the American Revolution
Although it never seriously threatened the stability of the United States, Shays’ Rebellion greatly alarmed politicians throughout the nation.
Proponents of constitutional reform at the national level cited the rebellion as justification for revision or replacement of the Articles of Confederation, and Shays’ Rebellion figured prominently in the debates over the framing and ratification of the Constitution.