1. Articles of Confederation “Our First Draft of the Constitution” – A Blueprint for Government

2. Strengths of the Articles of Confederation Organized Western Lands  Northwest Ordinance  Land Ordinance of 1785 States gave up claims and the land would be organized and surveyed. Education would be important in new townships

3. Strengths of the Articles of Confederation Feeling of National Unity  Weak but there.

4. Strengths of the Articles of Confederation Negotiated Peace with Britain  Very favorable boundaries

5. Strengths of the Articles of Confederation “Full Faith and Credit”  Set the precedent that would continue in the Constitution.

6. Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation No money and no power to get it! - Congress had no power to tax; could only request states to pay to support costs of national gov’t. EX: No way to pay debts from Revolutionary War ($33 million)

7. Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation No power over states & their citizens! - Congress could not make laws to regulate behavior of citizens; no way to make them obey EX: Loyalists & protection of their property

8. Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation No power to regulate international trade! - States refused to pay for imported goods; other nations did not want to trade w/ the U.S. - U.S. lost money due to not being able to sell goods to other nations

9. Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation No power to regulate trade among states! - States unfairly taxed other states for goods going through them - Prevented productive trade & worsened the economy

10. Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation No national court system! - No means of interpreting the national laws or judging those who broke them

11. Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation No president exists! - No one to ensure that laws passed by Congress were carried out

12. Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation Military Weaknesses  Congress could create an Army and a Navy but could not fund it nor force the states to meet enlistment or financing quotas.

13. Ultimate Weakness… No way to prevent states from turning into a “tyranny of the majority” – there was nothing to protect the rights of the “minority” states!!! Relied on state constitutions with their own bills of rights.