1. The Articles of Confederation
Chapter 7, Section 1

2. State Constitutions
Because of their experience with British Rule, Americans were cautious about placing too much power in the hands of one ruler
States adopted Constitutions that limited the power of the governor

3. Limiting Power Most states established a bicameral legislature
Popularly elected, you must have been a 21-year old male to vote, and own a certain amount of property and pay taxes
Made the legislature the most powerful part of their government

4. Forming and Republic
At first, most Americans favored a weak central government
They wanted the states to act independently of each other
The central government only waged war and handled relations with other countries

5. Planning a New Government
The Articles of Confederation was drawn up in 1776 at the Second Continental Congress
It became America’s first constitution
It acted as a “firm league of friendship”
Congress had the authority to:
1. Conduct foreign affairs
2. Maintain armed forces
3. Borrow money
4. Issue currency

6. Planning a New Government
Congress could not:
1. Regulate trade
2. Force citizens to join the army
3. Impose taxes
It also lacked a chief executive (president)
Under this plan, all states had one vote, no matter how big or small their population
All states had to ratify the Articles, including any amendments
The Confederation was ratified on March 1st, 1781

7. The Confederation Government
Weaknesses
1. Congress could not pass a law unless nine states voted in favor of it
2. Could not change the Articles without the consent of all thirteen states
Strengths
1. Under this government, the states won their independence from Great Britain
2. Provided for settling and governing the nation’s western territories

8. New Land Policies
During the 1790’s, around 120,000 people were living in territories west of the Appalachian Mountains (they want to organize and join the Union.)
Thomas Jefferson proposed a plan to organize these territories

9. The Ordinance of 1785
Established a procedure for surveying and selling the western lands north of the Ohio River
The law divided the territory into townships and were to be sold at least a dollar an acre
Richard Henry Lee urged that the rights of the property be clearly defined

10. The Northwest Ordinance
When the population of a territory reaches 60,000, they can petition for statehood
Included a Bill of Rights for settlers and also included a clause that prohibited slavery in the new territory
This was the nation’s first attempt to stop the spread of slavery

11. Financial Problems
Because Congress did not have the power to tax, they had no way to pay back their debts from the Revolutionary War
It requested funds from the states, but the states only contributed a small portion of the money needed

12. Robert Morris’s Import Tax
Proposed a five percent tax on all imports to help pay back the debts of the war
This would require amending the Articles to allow Congress the power to levy the tax
All thirteen states are needed to amend, and Rhode Island voted no… so the tax did not happen

13. Problems with Britain
As per the Treaty of Paris, Britain was supposed to remove their troops from lands east of the Mississippi River
Some of them stayed
Some Americans complained that the British were keeping them from trading with the profitable West Indies
The British said they did these things because the states had failed to pay back the Loyalists for all of their property that was taken

14. Problems with Spain
Spain did not want the Americans to expand into their land, so they shut off the lower part of the Mississippi River to American shipping in 1784
The Mississippi River is HUGE for commerce
This is really going to make the new government’s economy worse