1. After the War The Birth of a Nation The Nation’s First Governments Articles of Confederation Chapter 8

2. Revolutionary War & Declaration of Independence Revolutionary War & Declaration of Independence- Destroyed British government in the American colonies Social Contract was broken – needed to be replaced What to replace it with? America needed a new plan of government British government Destroyed government Needed to rebuilt a new government

3. What to replace it with? The Declaration of Independence did not declare America to be a single country. The 13 colonies became 13 separate “countries” each with its own set of laws and government. They called themselves “states.”

4. Confederation There were some things that a state could not do on its own – It could not raise and maintain an army

5. Confederation For this and other reason, the Second Continental Congress made plans for a “firm league of friendship” among states They were called the Articles of Confederation

6. Confederation A confederation is a group of individuals (in this case governments) who band together for a common purpose. The Articles of Confederation established a system by which states could work with each other

7. What to replace it with? At the time, the idea of separate, independent states appealed to most Americans. They were uninterested in creating a large central government of their own.

8. State Vs. National government State government Central or national government

9. State V. National Government Atlas Activity

10. Articles of Confederation 1781-1789 America’s First Constitution Strong State or local government Weak central or national government – Opposite of what they had with England – Mistrust of central government – No power to tax – 1 branch of governemt

11. State V. National government State government 3 branches of government – Legislative ( representatives- create the laws) – Executive( president- enforce the laws) – Judicial( courts – judge or interpret the laws) National/ Central government 1 branch of government – legislative( representatives- create the laws)

12. Think – Pair- Share Think & Answer in your notebook: Why were the Americans afraid to set up a strong national or central government?

13. Statehood State Constitutions- Each new American state immediately confirmed its independence by writing its own constitution. These documents were different from Britain’s because they were detailed and written down.

14. Statehood Each state had set up a government similar to the colonial government that had come before it. Republic = representatives Popular sovereignty –common people rule Separation of Powers ( 3 branches of government) Each had: – Governor-elected by citizens or chosen by legislature – System of Courts- interpret laws – Legislature- passes laws

15. Statehood Many state constitutions also included a Bill of Rights which guaranteed certain basic rights. – Freedom of speech – Press – Religion – education

16. State Constitutions Basic Ideas of Government Government Natural Rights Social Contract Popular Sovereignty Check & Balances Separation of Powers L E J Bill of Rights Representation What freedoms should people have? Speech, press, religion, education, voting, slavery

17. National government under The Articles of Confederation 1. Congress was one house, unicameral and each state got one vote 2. Congress was given few powers 3. Congress had no power to tax or enforce laws

18. Accepted! Ratification! By 1781, all 13 states had ratified, or voted in favor of the Articles of Confederation We had a new official government. Ratification= official approval

19. Articles of Confederation Best thing Best thing Congress did under the Articles of Confederation was the Northwest Ordinances – Creation of Northwest Territory – Decided how to governed those western land Basic rights No slavery education

20. Achievements of the Articles of Confederation States claiming for themselves western land Problem – not all states equal access to the land Solution – National government ( for all) takes control of western land Question – What to do with the western land?

21. What to do with the western land? – New laws or ordinances ( ordinances = laws) on what to do with how to divide it how to govern these lands How to divide it Divided western land – Creating Northwest Territory & possibility of new states Ohio Indiana Michigan Illinois Wisconsin Minnesota What to do with it ? Sell it to help pay war debts some land for schools – promoted public education

22. Northwest Ordinances Described how to governed western territory Created the process in which territories would become equal states Included a bill of rights – Freedom of religion, speech, habeas corpus, trial by jury – Free education – Prohibited slavery in Northwest Territory ( no slavery allowed) – “ good faith” with Indians

23. Weaknesses of the Articles The Articles had serious problems: – Congress could not levy/ collect taxes – Congress could not pass laws unless nine states voted in favor of it Amend= to change (in this case there needed to be a unanimous vote) – Congress could not enforce laws, so if a state ignored a law, nothing could be done

24. Weaknesses Congress could not collect or levy taxes **The government had to borrow money to pay for war against Britain** Congress allowed the states to fall into debt and taxed trade between states.

25. Articles of Confederation Success Governed the nation during the Revolutionary War Negotiated the Treaty of Paris of 1783 at the end of the war Northwest Territory Passed the Land Ordinances of 1785 Passed the Northwest Ordinances 1787 Weaknesses Lacked power to enforce laws Lacked power to levy/collect taxes Lacked power to regulate trade among the states Required all 13 states to approved changes in the Articles.

26. Shays’s Rebellion The burden of taxes fell upon American citizens Daniel Shays decided he had enough – He was a farmer who had fallen into heavy debt – The Massachusetts courts were threatening to take his farm away as payment for his debts.

27. Shays’s Rebellion He thought that the state had no right to punish him for a problem the state had created A group of 1200 farmers marched to the courthouse. The governor ordered state troops to break up the march

28. Shays’s Rebellion Shays was defeated American began to fear that there would be more violent incidents. It was now clear that the states needed to set up a stronger central government. Now they had reason for action. If government couldn’t control their own people how could they control or defend/protect from other countries

29. Shays’s Rebellion Outcome In 1787, 12 of the states sent delegates to a meeting in Philadelphia The purpose of the meeting was to revise the Articles of Confederation.

30. Think-Pair-Share: Articles of Confederation Think & Answer in your notebook: 1.Who had most powers under the Articles of Confederation? 2.Why were the Americans afraid to set up a strong national or central government? 3.Mention 2-5 weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation.

31. Process : Acrostic Poem Articles of Confederation Print the word “Articles” or “Confederation” vertically - letter by letter, along the left margin of the page. Each letter then becomes the starting point for a word, phrase, or sentence that describes the topic. A_____________________________ R_____________________________ T_____________________________ I_____________________________ C_____________________________ L_____________________________ E_____________________________ S_____________________________ Example: Articles of Confederation A fter the war- the new 13 states R ecreated a new government T hat gave more power to the states I ndependent states working on their own C L E S