EARLY AMERICAN GOVERNMENT, 1781-1787
I. Articles of Confederation
- first attempt at a national government within the colonies, necessitated by the war
with England.
- created in 1776 by the second Continental Congress (ratified in 1781)
- legislative branch only, 1 vote per state, 9 of 13 needed for passage of law
- unanimous vote needed to amend articles
- legislature had no power to tax, raise an army, or produce currency
- Articles outlined a “firm league of friendship” among the 13 colonies/states, but each
remained sovereign.
- state constitutions superseded any laws passed by the “national govt.”
- legislature’s main power was to act as a negotiator with foreign states
QUESTION: Why did the founding fathers create a govt. of this nature?
II. Early Problems in the New Nation
1. Debt:
-foreign and domestic, totaling some $50 million in 1786
2. Economic chaos:
- 13 different currencies
- coastal states heavily taxed imports and exports
- interior states clashed over land rights
3. World Status:
- few nations recognized the legitimacy of the new country
4. Defense:
- no standing army, small inadequate navy
Annapolis Convention (1786)
- first nationalist meeting, called by Alexander Hamilton
- 12 delegates from 5 states met to discuss revising the Articles, but not
much interest overall.
III. Shay’s Rebellion (1786-87)
- brought about by heavy taxation by the Massachusetts state legislature to pay
for their share of the war debt.
- farmer Daniel Shays leads an armed rebellion to protest taxation, including
attacking tax collectors.
- violence ends in Jan., 1787, when state militia intervened
Significance: showed a continued commitment by the people to defy
authority they felt was unjust; beginning of a new rebellion?
*Result: calling of the Constitutional Convention in the summer of 1787