Articles of Confederation 1781-1787

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Articles of Confederation1781-1787

• Americas First Government
• Created by the second Continental Congress in
  1777, approved in 1781

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Thirteen Countries

• Each colony became a state
• Each state was really an independent country.
• People were loyal to their state, not one big
  country.

3
State Governments

• Each state had its own government.
• More important than Congress
• Each state dealt with foreign countries on their
  own.
• Each state made its own money

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States Work Together

• Each state sends representatives to Congress.
• Congress helps plan and direct the Revolutionary
  War
• However, Congress has no power over any state.

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Articles of Confederation

• An agreement by the states to work together.
• Formed a very weak central government.
• No judiciary (national court system)
• No executive branch (think King)
• One legislature, with little power.
• No power to tax anyone
• No power to regulate trade between the states

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Citizens of Each State Elects State Govt
NH
MA
RI
CT
NY
PA
NJ
MD
DE
SC
GA
NC
VA
Congress Each State 1 Vote
No Executive (king or President)
No Judicial System (courts, judges)
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Why a Weak Government?

• Parliament and the King were strong!
• The colonies were fighting to rid themselves of
  such a government.
• An executive reminded them of a King, so NO DEAL!
• They were afraid of a government that would take
  away their rights.

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Problems with the Articles

• Congress could not tax the colonies.
• Each state passed its own taxes.
• Congress could not fix trade (business) problems
  between states.
• Each state had only one vote
• It did not matter how big or how many people
  lived in it.

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Government Gridlock

• To pass a law, 9 of 13 states had to agree
• Nearly 70!!
• Few laws were passed
• To amend (change) the Articles of Confederation,
  ALL states must agree to it.

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Land Issues

• Colonies won lots of new land after the war.
• Each state claimed some of that land as theirs.

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Northwest Ordinance

• All states agree to give up claims to land in the
  west.
• System is created to make new states.
• Three step process to statehood
• New states would be equal to old states.
• Prohibited slavery in the NW territory

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Call for Change

• Small number of people want change
• Reasons
• Create a government that can do something!
• Fix many of the problems facing the states.
• People are too dumb to govern themselves
• Folks call for a convention in Annapolis Maryland
  to discuss changes.

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Annapolis Convention

• 1786 Annapolis, Maryland
• Only 12 reps from 5 states show.
• Delegates plan to meet again in Philadelphia in
  1787
• Goal is to fix the national government.

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Shays Rebellion

• Colonists in Mass. angry over high taxes and the
  government taking their land.
• Farmer named Daniel Shays leads an armed
  rebellion.
• Congress cannot raise funds for an army
• Mass. finally raises an army and defeats Shay,
  four of his followers are killed by Massachusetts
  militia.
• Many people worry that the new government could
  not maintain law and order and that Articles
  needed serious revision.

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Successes of the Articles of Confederation

• It kept the country together during the
  revolutionary War
• It negotiated the Treaty of Paris of 1783
• It passed the Northwest Ordinance