STRENGTHS OF THE ARTICLES OF
CONFEDERATION
Treaty of Paris 1783
Britain recognized American
Independence
Doubled the size of the United
States; from the Atlantic
Ocean to the Mississippi River
STRENGTHS OF THE ARTICLES OF
CONFEDERATION
Congress established fair
policies for the organizing the
lands west of the Appalachian
Mountains
Land Ordinance 1785
Northwest Territory 1787
Land Ordinance (1785): provided for the sale
of land in the old Northwest and earmarked
the proceeds toward repaying the national
debt.
Northwest Territory (1787): created a policy
for administering the Northwestern Territories;
it included a path to statehood and forbade
the expansion of slavery into the territories.
STRENGTHS OF THE ARTICLES OF
CONFEDERATION
Set up departments for Foreign
Affairs, War, Treasury, and
Marine
All of this was handled by one
permanent secretary
WEAKNESSES OF THE ARTICLES OF
CONFEDERATION
Congress did not have the power to
levy or collect taxes
Could only raise money by borrowing
or requesting money from states
No regulated currency
Did not have the power to regulate
trade
WEAKNESSES OF THE ARTICLES OF
CONFEDERATION
Could not force anyone to obey or abide
by laws set by the Articles of
Confederation
They could only request the states
comply
Approval of 9/13 states was needed to
pass a law
This made passing law almost
impossible
WEAKNESSES OF THE ARTICLES OF
CONFEDERATION
All 13 states had to agree to
make and amendment
There was no Executive branch
No unity in policy making no way
to coordinate the work of
different committees
No national court system
SHAY’S REBELLION
 https://youtu.be/q77iwGlyXF4
SHAY’S REBELLION
Shay's Rebellion illustrated two things:
The national government under the Articles of
Confederation was powerless to raise money
to pay back the debt or pay back the soldiers
because each law had to be approved by every
single state. Just one state's saying no meant
that a bill was defeated.
Out of all this came a general agreement that
a stronger federal government was needed.
Later in 1787, the Constitution became a
reality.
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
What were some of the strengths of the
AOC?
Describe some of the aspects of the AOC
that made it a weak constitution.
1. Why was the Northwest Ordinance
critical to the growth of the U.S.A?