The Articles of
Confederation
After the signing of the
Declaration of
Independence in 1776,
it was important that a
plan for keeping the
colonies united be
passed.
What is a Confederacy?
A loose union of independent
states.
The Article of Confederation
●In 1777 the Articles
were proposed.
●The states wanted a
"league of friendship"
among 13
independent states
rather than a strong
national government.
●By March 1781, all 13
states ratified, or
approved, the Articles.
Government Under the Articles
●1)A unicameral, or one chamber, Congress where
each state had one vote regardless of size or
population. Every state legislature elected its
representative.
●2)It did not set up an Executive Branch, or president.
Nor did it set up a federal court system.
●3)Congress only had the powers expressed in the
Articles. All other powers remained with the
independent states.
Government Under the Articles
Congress could:
●Borrow or request money from the states.
●Declare war and peace.
●Maintain an army and navy.
●Enter into treaties.
●Regulate affairs with Native Americans.
●Establish post offices.
●Decide certain disputes among the states.
Government Under the Articles
Congress could not:
●Levy or collect taxes.
●Regulate trade.
●Force anyone to abide by the law.
●Pass laws without approval of 9 of 13
states.
●Amend the Articles without the consent of
all 13 states.
●Establish an executive or judicial branch.
The Articles created a weak
national government.
Did you know?
Each state had its own Army, and
nine states had a Navy under the
Articles.
Achievements under the Articles
●Congress established a fair policy for
development of lands west of the Appalachian,
yielding all claims of these territories to the central
government.
●Land ordinances, such as the Northwest
Ordinance of 1787, set a principle for the
territories to be made states.
●Allowed for a treaty to be signed with Great Britain
in 1783.
The Need for a Stronger
Government
The federal government could not
coordinate the actions of the states.
●1)Quarrels over boundaries.
●2)States were dealing directly with foreign
nations.
●3)The government had incurred a large
debt from the Revolutionary War and had
no means to raise money to pay it off.
●4)An economic depression set in.
Shays’ Rebellion
In 1787 economic
trouble had led to many
farmers unable to pay
their mortgages so they
lost their land or were
imprisoned in Western
Massachusetts. Several
hundred angry farmer
armed with pitchforks
marched on the
Springfield arsenal to
get weapons.
Shays’ Rebellion
Led by Revolution Capt.
Daniel Shays, they
wanted to prevent the
courts from taking their
land away and to force
the state to pass laws to
help them.
Shays’ Rebellion
The Massachusetts
militia put down the
rebellion but the
national
government was
powerless. This
frightened
American leaders.
Shays’s Rebellion
Henry Knox, later the nation’s first secretary of war echoed a
growing number of Americans, ready to agree to a stronger
government, in a letter to George Washington:
“This dreadful situation has alarmed every man of principle and
property in New England. People wake as from a dream and ask
what has been the cause of our delusion. What will give us
security against the violence of lawless men? Our government
must be changed, or altered to secure our lives and property.”
A convention is called in
Philadelphia in May 1787.
●The Philadelphia
convention was held for
"the sole and express
purpose of revising the
Articles of Confederation.”
●This sets the stage for a
radical change in
American government that
was nothing short of a
miracle.