A Loose Confederation

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A Loose Confederation
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State Written Constitutions

• I. State Written Constitutions
• A. Reasons for writing
• 1. Spell out rights of all
• citizens
• 2. Limit the power of
• Government

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• B. Make-up similar to Colonial
• Government
• 1. Legislative-elected to
• enact laws
• 2. Executive
• a. Governor
• b. All states but PA
• c. executes or carries out
• laws.

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Articles of Confederation

• II. Articles of Confederation
• A. Plan Drafted by Continental
• Congress
• 1. Plan for nation as a whole
• 2. Citizens reluctant to give up
• power from the states
• 3. Most saw themselves as citizens
• of the state not the nation

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• B. Approved in 1777
• C. Very loose alliance of 13
• independent states
• D. Limited Powers
• 1. States sent delegates to
• Congress
• 2. Each state had one vote

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• E. Powers of Congress
• 1. Declare war
• 2. Make Treaties
• 3. Appoint military
• officers
• 4. Coin/Make money
• 5. Responsible for foreign affairs

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• F. Limits to Power
• 1. 9 states had to approve a law
• 2. Cannot regulate trade
• 3. no power to tax
• 4. Congress had to ask
• states for money
• 5. No president or executive
• 6. No court system

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• G. Dispute over Western Lands
• 1. Maryland refused to ratify
  unless VA other
• states ceded their rights
• to lands West of
• Appalachian Mountains
• 2. Virginia last hold out
• 3. Maryland ratified in 1781

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• H. Weaknesses of Confederation
• 1. Conflict between
• states--NY and NH over
  Vermont
• 2. Money problems-states
• printed their own currency

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• 3. Other nations take
• advantage
• a. Britain in Ohio Valley
• b. Spain closed Port of
• New Orleans to
• American shipping

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• III. Admitting New States
• A. Land ordinance of 1785
• 1. System for settling NW territory
• 2. Territory surveyed and divided into townships
• 3. Townships divided into 36 sections of 1 square
  mile each

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• sections sold to
• settlers for 640 a piece
• One section set aside
• for public schools

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• B. Northwest ordinance
• 1. Passed in 1787
• 2.government for Northwest Territory
• 3.Guaranteed basic rights to settlers and
  outlawed slavery

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• 4. provided rules to divide vast territory in the
  future
• 5. Provided a way to admit new states to the
  union
• a. once a territory has
  60,000 free settlers it could ask Congress
  to
• be admitted as a state

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• b. Each state would be on an equal footing with
  the original states in all respects whatsoever
• 6. 5 full states created Ohio, Indiana,
  Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin
• 7. Partial state Minnesota