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 $36 million dollars in debt b/c of Revolutionary war)
• Established a method for selling land
• Selling of townships and units to
individuals
Land Ordinance of 1785
NORTHWEST ORDINANCE OF 1787
• Created a management policy for
Westward expansion. (creating
Midwestern states)
• The U.S. could not legally grow as a
Nation.
Calls for transition
from a territory
to a state when
population
grows to
60,000.
What did it get rid of that previously existed?
ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION
Strengths
• Treaty of Paris 1783
• Land Ordinance of 1785
• Northwest Ordinance of
1787
Weaknesses
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Regulate trade
Collect taxes
Raise an army
One vote for each state,
regardless of size
9 of the 13 states had to
approve most acts/laws
No National Court System
No Executive Officer
(President)
No National Currency ($)
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 Constitution
Representation 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.
B.
C.
D.
Connecticut plan
Great Compromise
3/5 Compromise
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.
Practice
Question
•
Which event convinced
many citizens that
changes needed to be
made to the AOC?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Shay’s Rebellion
Bacon’s Rebellion
Stono Rebellion
American Revolution
Chart
Draw a chart that explains the significance of the 3
rebellions
(Stono, Bacon’s & Shay’s)
Significance of
Stono Rebellion
Significance of
Bacon’s Rebellion
Significance of
Daniel Shay’s
Rebellion
Classwork/homework questions
1.
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?