After the War
The Birth of a Nation
The Nation’s First Governments
Articles of Confederation
Chapter 8
Revolutionary War & Declaration of
Independence
• Revolutionary War &
Declaration of
Independence- Destroyed
British government in the
American colonies
• Social Contract was broken
– needed to be replaced
• What to replace it with?
• America needed a new plan
of government
• British government
• Destroyed government
• Needed to rebuilt a new
government
What to replace it with?
• The Declaration of
Independence did not
declare America to be
a single country.
• The 13 colonies
became 13 separate
“countries” each with
its own set of laws
and government.
• They called
themselves “states.”
Confederation
• There were some
things that a state
could not do on its
own
– It could not raise and
maintain an army
Confederation
• For this and other
reason, the Second
Continental Congress
made plans for a “firm
league of friendship”
among states
• They were called the
Articles of
Confederation
Confederation
• A confederation is a
group of individuals
(in this case
governments) who
band together for a
common purpose.
• The Articles of
Confederation
established a system
by which states could
work with each other
What to replace it with?
• At the time, the idea
of separate,
independent states
appealed to most
Americans.
• They were
uninterested in
creating a large
central government of
their own.
State Vs. National government
State government
Central or national government
State V. National Government
• Atlas Activity
Articles of Confederation
• 1781-1789
• America’s First
Constitution
• Strong State or local
government
• Weak central or national
government
– Opposite of what they had
with England
– Mistrust of central
government
– No power to tax
– 1 branch of governemt
State V. National government
State government
• 3 branches of government
– Legislative ( representativescreate the laws)
– Executive( president- enforce
the laws)
– Judicial( courts – judge or
interpret the laws)
National/ Central government
• 1 branch of government
– legislative( representativescreate the laws)
Think – Pair- Share
• Think & Answer in your notebook:
Why were the Americans afraid
to set up a strong national or
central government?
Statehood
• State ConstitutionsEach new American
state immediately
confirmed its
independence by
writing its own
constitution.
• These documents were
different from Britain’s
because they were
detailed and written
down.
Statehood
• Each state had set up a
government similar to the
colonial government that had
come before it.
• Republic = representatives
• Popular sovereignty –common
people rule
• Separation of Powers ( 3
branches of government)
• Each had:
– Governor-elected by citizens or
chosen by legislature
– System of Courts- interpret laws
– Legislature- passes laws
Statehood
• Many state
constitutions also
included a Bill of
Rights which
guaranteed certain
basic rights.
–
–
–
–
Freedom of speech
Press
Religion
education
State Constitutions
Basic Ideas of Government
Natural
Rights
Check &
Balances
Social
Contract
Separation of
Powers
L
E
Government
Popular
Sovereignty
J
What freedoms should
people have?
Speech, press, religion,
education, voting, slavery
Bill of Rights
Representation
National government under The
Articles of Confederation
• 1. Congress was one
house, unicameral and
each state got one
vote
• 2. Congress was given
few powers
• 3. Congress had no
power to tax or
enforce laws
Accepted! Ratification!
• By 1781, all 13 states
had ratified, or voted
in favor of the Articles
of Confederation
• We had a new official
government.
Ratification= official
approval
Articles of Confederation
Best thing 
• Best thing Congress did
under the Articles of
Confederation was the
Northwest Ordinances
– Creation of Northwest
Territory
– Decided how to
governed those western
land
• Basic rights
• No slavery
• education
Achievements of the Articles of
Confederation 
• States claiming for
themselves western land
• Problem – not all states
equal access to the land
• Solution – National
government ( for all)
takes control of western
land
• Question – What to do
with the western land?
• What to do with the
western land?
– New laws or ordinances (
ordinances = laws)
• on what to do with
• how to divide it
• how to govern these lands
How to divide it
Divided western land
– Creating Northwest Territory
& possibility of new states
•
•
•
•
•
•
Ohio
Indiana
Michigan
Illinois
Wisconsin
Minnesota
What to do with it ?
Sell it to help pay war debts
some land for schools –
promoted public
education
Northwest Ordinances
• Described how to governed
western territory
• Created the process in
which territories would
become equal states
• Included a bill of rights
– Freedom of religion, speech,
habeas corpus, trial by jury
– Free education
– Prohibited slavery in
Northwest Territory ( no
slavery allowed)
– “ good faith” with Indians
Weaknesses of the Articles
• The Articles had serious
problems:
– Congress could not levy/
collect taxes
– Congress could not pass
laws unless nine states
voted in favor of it
• Amend= to change (in this
case there needed to be a
unanimous vote)
– Congress could not enforce
laws, so if a state ignored a
law, nothing could be done
Weaknesses
• Congress could not
collect or levy taxes
• **The government
had to borrow money
to pay for war against
Britain**
• Congress allowed the
states to fall into debt
and taxed trade
between states.
Articles of Confederation
Success
• Governed the nation
during the Revolutionary
War
• Negotiated the Treaty of
Paris of 1783 at the end
of the war
• Northwest Territory
Passed the Land
Ordinances of 1785
Passed the Northwest
Ordinances 1787
Weaknesses
• Lacked power to enforce
laws
• Lacked power to
levy/collect taxes
• Lacked power to regulate
trade among the states
• Required all 13 states to
approved changes in the
Articles.
Shays’s Rebellion
• The burden of taxes fell
upon American citizens
• Daniel Shays decided he
had enough
– He was a farmer who
had fallen into heavy
debt
– The Massachusetts
courts were threatening
to take his farm away as
payment for his debts.
Shays’s Rebellion
• He thought that the
state had no right to
punish him for a
problem the state had
created
• A group of 1200
farmers marched to
the courthouse.
• The governor ordered
state troops to break
up the march
Shays’s Rebellion
• Shays was defeated
• American began to fear that
there would be more violent
incidents.
• It was now clear that the
states needed to set up a
stronger central
government.
• Now they had reason for
action. If government
couldn’t control their own
people how could they
control or defend/protect
from other countries
Shays’s Rebellion Outcome
• In 1787, 12 of the
states sent delegates
to a meeting in
Philadelphia
• The purpose of the
meeting was to revise
the Articles of
Confederation.
Think-Pair-Share:
Articles of Confederation
• Think & Answer in your notebook:
1.Who had most powers under the Articles of
Confederation?
2.Why were the Americans afraid to set up a strong
national or central government?
3.Mention 2-5 weaknesses of the Articles of
Confederation.
Process : Acrostic Poem
Articles of Confederation
Print the word “Articles” or
“Confederation” vertically - letter by
letter, along the left margin of the
page. Each letter then becomes the
starting point for a word, phrase, or
sentence that describes the topic.
A_____________________________
R_____________________________
T_____________________________
I_____________________________
C_____________________________
L_____________________________
E_____________________________
S_____________________________
Example:
Articles of Confederation
After the war- the new 13 states
Recreated a new government
That gave more power to the states
Independent states working on their
own
C
L
E
S