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Articles of Confederation
+ The Articles of Confederation 1781-1787
13
Original
Colonies
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What they disliked about
England’s rule

Taxation without Representation.

Large Central Government (monarchy) had all the
power.

States always had to listen to the king.
 All power was in the King’s hands.

King could change the rules/laws any time.
What document did the colonist create that stated all the
things they disliked about England’s rule?
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A choice to make
 Three
different types of systems in government
 Confederation: Power
is placed in local
governments, with less power being placed into
a central government
 Unitary: The
central government has more more
than local governments
 Federalist: Power
is split between local and
central governments
The Articles of Confederation
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•In 1777 the Continental Congress drew up a
plan of government for the 13 colonies.
•In 1781, the Articles of Confederation were
ratified by all 13 states.
•Went into effect in 1783 after the
revolutionary war ended.
•Confederation - a loose association of states.
•Each state was to have equal power and
be independent.
•Sovereignty - absolute power, and freedom
from outside control.
•States enforce and interpret laws.
•There was a one house lawmaking body called
Congress.
•Each state received one vote in congress.
+ The Articles of Confederation
America’s 1st Constitution 1781-1789
Congress was given
the power to:
No Chief Executive
Create Laws
No national court system
Difficult to Pass laws
(2/3 vote)
+ The Articles of Confederation
America’s 1st Constitution 1781-1789
Congress was given
the power to:
Declare War &
Establish an
Army/Navy
No Power to
Draft Soldiers
+ The Articles of Confederation
America’s 1st Constitution 1781-1789
Congress was given
the power to:
Make Peace &
Sign Treaties
No Power to
Enforce Treaties
+ The Articles of Confederation
America’s 1st Constitution 1781-1789
Congress was given
the power to:
Borrow Money
No Power to
Collect Taxes
from the States
+ The Articles of Confederation
America’s 1st Constitution 1781-1789
Congress was given
the power to:
Settle disputes
between states
No Power to Regulate
Interstate Commerce
No National Currency
+ The Articles of Confederation
America’s 1st Constitution 1781-1789
Congress was given
the power to:
Give value to
coin (money).
No National Currency
+ The Articles of Confederation
America’s 1st Constitution 1781-1789
Congress was given
the power to:
Organize a
Post Office
+ The Articles of Confederation
America’s 1st Constitution 1781-1789
Could change
the constitution
Difficult to
Amend
(unanimous vote
needed to change the
articles)
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The Articles of Confederation Cont’d
During the Revolutionary War, the 13
states worked together to win the
war
After the war, the country was in debt
The states were more worried about
solving individual problems rather
than those of the country after the
war
Common problem in politics, people
look tend to do what is best for them,
even though if they worked
collectively as a group, more success
comes about.
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The convincer, Shay’s Rebellion
Changes
are
Needed
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The articles did not give
the national government
enough power to operate.
The national government
could not end
disagreements between
states.
In 1787, the Continental
Congress gathered state
representatives to discuss
changes in the Articles of
Confederation.
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Something great: Land Ordinances
of 1785 and 1787

As a means to help reduce the massive amount of debt, the
confederation decided to sell land in order to combat the
costs of war.

Creates the land surveying that sets up the US into a grid
system.

See examples