Articles of Confederation
I Can- Articles of Confederation
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I Can:
___ Explain major domestic problems faced by the leaders of the new republic under
the Articles of Confederation
___ Summarize issues with maintaining national security
___ Foreign countries
___ Summarize issues with creating a stable economy
___ National Currency
___ Summarize issues dealing with war debts
___ Money from states
___ Farm foreclosures
___ Shay’s Rebellion
___ Summarize issues with collecting taxes
___ Lack of a national tax
___ Summarize issues with defining the authority of the central government
___ Passing legislation
___ Explain how the Northwest Ordinance solved the problems of western land
settlement
Government under the Articles of
Confederation
• Government was going to be based on a
friendship of states
• States could make their own laws without
interference from other states
• A union would only be needed for defense
• Any issue dealing with all of the states
would be decided by Congress. Each state
had one vote
Positives of Articles of
Confederation
• Was effective in winning the war
• Was effective in settlement of western
lands
Western Settlement
• Land Ordinance of 1785
• Orderly system
• Land divided into surveyed
sections of 640 acres
• Land would be sold with one
section for schools
• Northwest Ordinance
• Territory divided into smaller
sections (Ohio, Indiana, Illinois,
Wisconsin, Michigan)
• Could apply for statehood when
they reached 60,000 people
• All rights must be guaranteed in
a state constitution
• No Slavery is allowed
Issues with the Articles of
Confederation
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National Security
Providing a stable economy
Dealing with war debt
Collecting taxes
Authority of Central
Government
Summarize issues with maintaining
national security
• No Navy- so we
could not stop pirates
from seizing ships
• No Army- British still
occupied forts in the
Ohio Valley and
Great Lakes after the
Revolutionary War
Summarize issues with creating a
stable economy
• Money printed during
the revolution was
worthless
• States printed there
own money, no one
knew the value of
each others money
• Trade between
colonies slows
drastically
Summarize issues dealing with war
debts
• States had to raise money to
pay off war debt- they taxed
each other by placing tariffs on
other colonies goods
• Trade between colonies
continues to slow
• Farmers are hit hard because of
the loss of trade, they can not
pay their own debts. Banks
foreclose on their farms
Summarize issues with collecting
taxes
• Lack of a national tax
• Not able to pay off war
debt
• Not able to raise an army
or navy
• No money available to
provide for services and
national improvements
Summarize issues with defining the
authority of the central government
• Passing legislation was to difficult
• 2/3 vote needed to pass a law
• Unanimous vote to change the Articles of
Confederation
Shay’s Rebellion
• Massachusetts farmers led by Daniel
Shay march on courthouses to stop
the foreclosures of farms
• They proceed to the Arsenal to get
weapons
• Rebellion against the national
government
• National Government can do nothingProves how weak it really is
• The nation realizes a change is
needed