1. Why It Matters?
After the Revolutionary War, the Patriots feared creating another tyrannical or abusive parliament, so therefore they refused to entrust the new Union with much power. As a result, most authority remained with the states. Within a short time, the powerful states and weak national government faced severe problems.
So what form of national government did the Patriots create initially, and what events revealed that a new government was necessary?

2. Experimenting with Confederation
Why would creating a new government be considered a challenge?
Colonies become states
Each one founded with its own governor, council, and colonial assembly.
Colonists saw their home colony as the primary political unit.
Their allegiance was mostly with their colony.
After the war, they still remained reluctant to unify these new states under a central government.
They needed to BALANCE the interests of the multiple states with those of the whole country.

3. Republicanism
Some believed too much power would be given to uneducated people.
The idea that governments should be based on the consent of the people.
People interpreted this in many ways.
The good of the nation had to be placed above personal interest.
Others thought if a government allowed independent citizens to pursue their own economic and political interests, then the whole nation would benefit.

4. Unicameral vs. Bicameral
The more democratic Patriots wanted to create state governments with strong legislatures and weak governors.
These people also wanted greater rights for the people.
They thought a unicameral legislature, or one with a single house, whose members were elected by the people.
Pennsylvania and Georgia adopted this.
Some states chose to create more conservative state constitutions.
These states had a bicameral, or double legislature, as well as a strong governor.
Bicameral included both a Senate and a House of Representatives.
Senators were wealthy, well-educated men and Representatives in the House were commoners.

5. State Constitutions Limited powers of the government leaders.
Guaranteed specific rights for citizens:
Freedom of speech
Freedom of religion
Freedom of the press
Liberty rather than equality
Feared centralized authority

6. Continental Congress Debates
Political Precedents
There were not a lot of countries that could serve as models for a republic type of government.
Most governments at this time were ruled by Kings or monarchs.
Continental Congress Debates
States developed their own constitutions while the CC tried to draft one for the whole country.
Basic questions had to be answered?
Should delegates represent people or states?
Should each state elect the same number of representatives regardless of population?
Should states with large populations have more representatives than smaller states?
The consensus was that each state would have one vote regardless of population!

7. Articles of Confederation
People assumed government could not share supreme power with states; it was one or the other.
Congress proposed a new type of government in a set of laws called the Articles of Confederation.
Alliance that said two levels of government could share fundamental power.
States were supreme in some matters, the nation government in other matters.
Enlightenment thinkers hoped that the new system would reflect the order and harmony found in nature.

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9. Western Lands: Who Gets Them?
By 1779, 12 states had agreed to accept a new government
Dispute over Western land
Maryland held up the process. It feared being overpowered because of its size
All states had to turn over their Western land. Only then would they approve the
A of C.
Articles went into effect in March, 1781.
How should the public Western lands be governed?
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10. Northwest Ordinance of 1787
Land Ordinance of 1785
Congress passed it.
They wanted a plan to survey the land.
If they knew what was out there it would be easier to govern it.
Northwest Ordinance of 1787
Congress divided land into territories.
Overlooked Native American land claims.
Set requirements for admission of new states into the country.
Three basic stages for becoming a state:
Congress would appoint a territorial governor and judges.
When a territory had 5,000 voting residents, settlers could write a temporary constitution and elect their own government officials.
When a total population of a territory reached 600,000 free inhabitants,
the settlers could write a state constitution which had to be approved by Congress before it granted statehood.
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12. Problems…
Americans feared giving the national government too much power.
That led to the government lacking sufficient power to deal with the nation’s problems.
How do you fix this???
Constitutional Convention!
Weaknesses
9 out of 13 states were needed to pass a law
All 13 states were needed to amend a law
Difficult to regulate trade between other states
Government could not tax
No President to carry out laws
No National Army
Problems it created
Very few laws would get passed
Nearly impossible to amend it
States would fight over rivers, taxes, etc.
Government could not operate effectively
No leadership gets nothing done
Vulnerable attack to foreign power

13. Shay’s Rebellion A slowdown of trade increased unemployment.
Farmers were not making as much money because their goods were not being traded as much.
In Western Massachusetts in 1786, farmers took up arms to shut down the courts to block any foreclosure hearings on their homes and farms.
Daniel Shay, a veteran of the Rev. War led about 1,000 farmers to seize weapons from the Springfield Armory and attempted to shut down the courts.
The state of Massachusetts raised an army to suppress the rebellion.