Articles/Convention Lesson
• Objective:
– SWBAT recognize and explain the major flaws that existed under the Articles of
Confederation through a Last Word Summarizer
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Agenda:
Questions to ponder – A New Nation
Articles
Problems
Journal response to Shays’
One Word Summary
• British are gone
• Are the colonies still
colonies?
• Who are they?
• Who is in charge??
Articles of Confederation
• Articles of Confederation
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Loose union of states under
congress
• Set up a weak system of
government.
WEAKNESS OF ARTICLES OF
CONFEDRATION
STATE POWER
CENTRAL POWER
WEAKNESS OF ARTICLES OF
CONFEDERATION
Confederation Congress
• Unicameral ( one house)
• Laws were hard to pass /
states had to approve them.
• Congress answered to the
states and NOT the people
• Congress had no power to
collect taxes, regulate trade,
or establish a military
What did the Articles authorize?
Congress
• Each state has one vote
• Set up post office
• Request donations from
states
• Raise armed forces
• Control western
development
Some others powers
• Consent of 9/13 could coin,
or borrow money
• Declare war
• Enter treaties
• Any amendment to Articles
required unanimous
approval of all 13 states
WEAKENSS OF ARTICLES OF
CONFEDERATION
Judicial Branch
• The U.S. had NO federal
court system
• Judicial proceedings in each
state were to be honored by
all other states
WEAKNESS OF ARTICLES OF
CONFEDERATION
EXECUTIVE BRANCH
• The US had NO chief
executive
• What problems can you predict the new
government will have based on the set up of
the Articles of Confederation??
• Why do you think the government was set up
this way???
WEAKNESS OF ARTICLES OF
CONFEDERATION
• The United States did
not have one unified
currency.
• Americans carried
money from state
governments, Federal
government, and
foreign countries
WEAKNESS OF ARTICLES OF
CONFEDERATION
• States began printing paper money to pay off
debts.
• Not backed by gold or silver
• Merchants stopped accepting paper money
WEAKNESS OF ARTICLES OF
CONFEDERATION
• INFLATION
WEAKNESS OF ARTICLES OF
CONFEDERATION
• Economic crisis:
United States at the end of the Revolution
is in a Recession. Why????
All states in debt from war.
Farmers are the most impacted.
WEAKNESS OF ARTICLES OF
CONFEDERATION
• International and
domestic problems
• United States unable to
defend itself against
England and Spain
• States acted like
individual countries
The Positive - The Northwest
Ordinance
• What to do with all
this land?
The land north of the
Ohio River and east of
the Mississippi
belonged to the United
States but it was not
organized or governed
(What problems
might occur
because of this?)
The Positive - The Northwest
Ordinance Cont.
Steps toward statehood
– the Northwest
Ordinance was passed in
1787
• an ordinance is a set of
laws
– Each territory would
have to take steps to
become a state
Each territory divided into smaller
areas
After 5,000 freemen of voting age
settled in the area, they could elect a
legislature
Territories could ask for statehood
once reaching a population of 60,000
Settlers could buy one square mile for
$640
No slavery was allowed in the
territory
Teacher Explains Newburg Conspiracy
Read Shays’ Rebellion
Shays’ Rebellion
Journal
• Whose job was it to stop Shays’ Rebellion?
Why?
• Whose job was it to help in New Orleans
following Katrina? Why?
ARTICLES (Song First)
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