Articles of Confederation

Background Information…

• In 1776, colonies declared their independence.• The colonists created the Articles of

Confederation to bind the new states together.

• The Articles were the first form of government created in the newly declared United States. While it created a National Congress, it also had many issues.

(Rough Draft of U.S. Constitution)

Articles of Confederation

Weakness of the AOC•

Congress (legislative branch) could not

• Regulate trade• Collect taxes• Raise an army• One vote for each state, regardless of size• 9 of the 13 states had to approve most acts/laws• No National Court System• No Executive Officer (President)• No National Currency ($) • National Government only had a unicameral (1 branch)

Legislature • Articles only a “firm league of friendship”

•Individual states seemed to have most of the power under the Articles of Confederation, because there was no:

• National Army• National Currency• Executive Officer (President)

Strengths of AOC• Negotiated Treaty of Paris

(1783) which ended the Revolutionary War

(*established American boundaries of Florida and Canada)

•Land Ordinance of 1785

•Northwest Ordinance of 1787

LAND ORDINANCE OF 1785

• The goal of the ordinance was to raise money through the sale of land in the largely unmapped territory west of the original colonies.

• Remember that government could not tax to raise money, so they needed to find ways to make $

*(colonies are $36 million dollars in debt b/c of Revolutionary war)

•Established a method for selling land• Selling of townships and units to

individuals

Land Ordinance of 1785

NORTHWEST ORDINANCE OF 1787• Created a management policy for

Westward expansion. (creating Midwestern states)

• The U.S. could not legally grow as a Nation.

Calls for transitionfrom a territoryto a state when population grows to 60,000.

What did it get rid of that previously existed?

ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION

Strengths• Treaty of Paris 1783

• Land Ordinance of 1785

• Northwest Ordinance of 1787

Weaknesses• Regulate trade• Collect taxes• Raise an army• One vote for each state,

regardless of size• 9 of the 13 states had to

approve most acts/laws• No National Court System• No Executive Officer

(President)• No National Currency ($) • National Government only had

a unicameral (1 branch) Legislature

• Articles only a “firm league of friendship”

Shay’s Rebellion• An armed uprising in Massachusetts from 1786 to 1787.

The rebels were mostly small farmers angered by crushing state debt and taxes, because of a depression.

• Failure to repay such debts often resulted in imprisonment or the claiming of property by the state.

• The importance of this rebellion was that it made people realize that without the ability to raise an army, the federal government could not function effectively. • It was now evident that a *stronger

central government was needed…so a revision of the AOC was necessary. -How does the government pay for the military?

Shay’s Rebellion - 1786

Arguments for the new Government• A problem arises on how each state is to be represented in the new

government. It becomes known as the big vs. little state debate.

• New Jersey Plan: Small state plan called for a unicameral legislature and representation based on one vote per state.

• Virginia Plan: Large state plan called for a bicameral legislature and representation by population.• Why would big states want representation to be based on population

while small states wanted equal representation?

Solutions offered by ConstitutionRepresentation by State & by State’s Population in

bicameral (2 houses) legislature

Congress had power to tax

Congress had power to regulate trade

President

National Court System

Amendments ratified by ¾ of States

Laws passed by a simple majority from both houses

Established strong National Government

Compromises…

• Great Compromise (Connecticut Compromise):

• divided the legislature into two bodies, the Senate and House of Representatives

•States had equal representation in the Senate

• (2 representatives from each state) and proportional representation in the House

(based on population).

*House of Rep: voted directly by the people*Senate: elected by state legislatures

Compromises…

The three-fifths Compromise: states that for purposes of representation, five slaves would be counted as 3 free people.

This compromise was used to determine a state’s population. (what states would favor this?)

Slave Trade & Commerce Compromise: outlawed the slave trade in 1808 but did not outlaw slavery.

(what region did that benefit?)

EOC PRACTICE • Which American Compromise dealt with the issue of Slavery?

A. Connecticut plan

B. Great Compromise

C. 3/5 Compromise

D. New Jersey Plan

Other Bills & Acts in the Constitution

• Bill of Rights: First 10 Amendments in the Constitution, protecting individual and state rights

• Electoral College: distributed the power to elect the president among the states.

*if no majority can be reached then the election is determined by the House of

Representatives.

EOC Practice Question The major problem with the Articles of Confederation was that it:

A. did not allow for a national army

B. did not allow the national government to tax

C. did not allow for a national legislature.

D. did not allow for interstate trade.

PracticeQuestion

• Which event convinced many citizens that changes needed to be made to the AOC?

A. Shay’s Rebellion

B. Bacon’s Rebellion

C. Stono Rebellion

D. American Revolution

Chart

Draw a chart that explains the significance of the 3 rebellions

(Stono, Bacon’s & Shay’s)

Classwork/homework questions1. Why did the colonists create the Articles of Confederation? What

was the document?

2. Please list 3 weaknesses under the Articles of Confederation.

3. What are the 3 strengths under the AOC? (What is the tip to remember them?)

4. What is the significance of Shay’s rebellion (farmer’s rebellion)?

5. Since the AOC had many weaknesses, what needed to be created to correct some of the problems?

6. List 3 solutions offered by the Constitution

7. What is the difference between the Virginia and New Jersey Plans?

8. What solved the problem between the two plans?

9. How is representation based in Congress?

10. Please explain the 3/5 Compromise & Slave Trade & Commerce Compromise.

11. If the electoral college cannot agree on whom shall be president, who then decides the election?