7. Articles of Confederation
“a declaration
of
independence,
a call to form
foreign
alliances, and
"a plan for
confederation."
The Articles basically
continued the structure and
operation of government as
established under the Second
Continental Congress
March 1781 all
13 states had
ratified, or
approved, the
Articles of
Confederation.
The states
wanted a
confederation,
or “league of
friendship”
The delegates did not want to
give too much power to the central
Government.
*unicameral
(one house)
Congress
*no president
Committee of the
States managed
government
when Congress
was not
assembled
No federal court
system,
Congress
settled disputes
among states
Each state had
one vote in
Congress,
13 votes, to
pass laws you
needed 9/13
votes to pass
Government Under the
Articles
Unicameral- or singlechambered Congress
Congress had no power to levy taxes.
Congress had no power to regulate trade.
Congress could not force anyone to obey the laws it
passed.
Laws needed approval of 9 of the 13 states to pass.
Amending Articles required consent of all states.
Central government had no executive branch.
Government had no national court system.
Achievements of the Articles
of Confederation
Establishment of a fair policy for
the development of the lands west
of the Appalachians
The
individual
states ceded,
or yielded,
their claims
to these
territories
to the
central
government
This provided a priceless
national asset that became a
strong force for national
unity.
Congress enacted land ordinances,
or laws that provided for the
organization of these territories
Northwest
Ordinance
established the
precedent by
which the United
States would
expand westward
across North
America by the
admission of new
states, rather than
by the expansion
of existing states.
Peace Treaty with Great
Britain in 1783
"Full faith and credit shall be
given in each of these States to
the records, acts, and judicial
proceedings of the courts and
magistrates of every other
State."
established fair policy for developing
Ordinance of 1787 – establishes
western lands Northwest
Method for creating new states and admitting
them to the US
forged a peace treaty with Great Britain
set up executive departments of Foreign
Affairs (State), War, Marine (Navy),
Treasury
Shays' Rebellion was an armed
uprising in western Massachusetts
from 1786 to 1787. The rebellion is
named after Daniel Shays, a
veteran of the American
Revolutionary War.
Quarreling began over boundary lines and tariffs paid to other
states, and states began trading directly with foreign nations.
The government owed huge debts to other nations and to
soldiers who fought in the Revolution, yet had no power to raise
money from the states.
The economic depression of 1786 had left many farmers and
merchants with great personal debts and no way of repaying
them. – Led to Shay’s Rebellion