5.1 Articles of Confederation

HW 5.2

Revolution or Evolution?Egalitarian movements:

Quakers found antislavery society in 1775

Anglican church is disestablished

Primogeniture laws repealed

Property-holding voting requirements reduced or abolished

Trade organizations spreading

Expansion of women’s roles – “republican motherhood”

NOTE: Departure of many prominent Loyalists and Tories means that there are few “conservative” elements

http://www.gilderlehrman.org/teachers/module_pop_resource.php?module_id=82&resource_id=1546

REPUBLICANISM

Americans after the revolution believed:• Power arises from the consent of the

governed = the people• DID NOT WANT a direct democracy.

(WHY?)

THEREFORE, a Republic was the best form of government.

PROS? CONS?

Can you think of an example of a direct democracy?

How would the Presidency of the US be different today if we were a direct democracy?

How would making Loyola a direct democracy change our student government?

HOW TO RULE?

• Republic, YES.• Supreme power? NO!!!• SOLUTION a confederation

How is a confederation different from a federal government ( what we have today)?

Confederation to Constitution• 1775, Colonies form state constitutions• 1780, Massachusetts holds first constitutional

convention• 1781, Articles of Confederation approved• Economic Democracy spreading as Loyalist estates

divided, pensions to rev. soldiers, • Land Ordinance of 1785 Western Lands opened

w/o slavery• Northwest Ordinance of 1787 ensures that land

rich and land poor states share equally in debts and riches of independence

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

13 COLONIES

CONFEDERATION VS. FEDERALISM

THE WESTERN LANDS PROBLEM

• The most powerful states (VA, NY, MA) claim lands in Ohio and beyond old line of demarcation

• MD refuses to sign Articles. WHY?• SOLUTION: Lands become property of the UNITED states

LAWS: Land Ordinance of 1785= rules for surveying the new landsNorthwest Ordinance of 1787= rules for dividing the land into states and admitting

them to the union.

Map: The United States in 1787

The United States in 1787This map shows the extent of American westward settlement in 1787 and the limits placed on that settlement by French and Spanish claims west of the Mississippi and in Florida. Plans for the creation of three to five states in the Northwest territory were approved by Congress in 1787, ensuring that the settlers in this region would enjoy the same political rights as the citizens of the original thirteen states.

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Map: Western Land Claims and Cessions, 1782-1802

Western Land Claims and Cessions, 1782-1802After the United States achieved independence, states competed with each other for control of valuable lands to which they had possible claims under their original charters. That competition led to a series of compromises among the states or between individual states and the new nation, which are indicated on this map.

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Map: The Northwest Territory, 1785-1787

The Northwest Territory, 1785-1787The Ordinance of 1785 provided for surveying land into townships of thirty-six sections, each supporting four families on 160-acre plots (approximately twenty-five people per square mile). In 1787 the Northwest Ordinance stipulated that states would ultimately be created in the region. Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Articles of Confederation

The Limits of Limited Government:1. No common currency or banking laws2. Unable to settle disputes over commerce

between states3. Unable to have stable govt. funding or to

collect taxes4. Unanimity necessary to amend (Rhode

Island creates problems!!!)5. Unable to deal with foreign powers, i.e. N.

African Pirates6. Weak army and navy7. Unable to respond to Shay’s rebellion

Look on page 129.

What were the two biggest problems facing the new government?

In light of this, what were the greatest weakness of the Articles of Confederation?

Free ain’t EasyProblems in the Confederation• Political and Economic

1. States are unbalanced politically in regards to population2. War debt 3. Continental Currency is worthless4. No trade regulations, taxes, or tariffs

• Borrowers vs. Lenders1. Bankruptcies increasing2. High taxes3. Cheap currency lowers debt, hurts banks

• Foreign Relations1. Spain menaces borders2. France demands repayment3. Navigation Acts still a problem4. N. African Piracy a growing problem

Under the Articles of Confederation, Congress

A. Was specifically designed to be weakB. Had no control over public land policyC. Had no power to regulate commerceD. Had no tax-collecting authority