Creating the Constitution
The Articles of Confederation
• The Articles were created
because during the
Revolution, the new United
States needed a functioning
government
– Modeled after colonial
governments
– States would retain
sovereignty
– Founders were fearful of
concentrated power due to
past experience with the
British
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A Limited Government
• Articles established a “firm
league of friendship”
among the states where
most of the power was held
by the states and only a few
were delegated to the
national government.
– Bills were passed by nine of
thirteen states (a super
majority.
– Amending the Articles took
unanimous consent of the
states
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Organization of Government
• Unicameral (single house)
legislative body
• Each state had one vote
regardless of population size
• Congress given sole
authority to govern the
country
• An executive committee
oversaw government when
Congress was not in session
• Congress would establish
temporary courts to hear
disputes among the states
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Powers Granted to Government
under the Articles of Confederation
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Declare war and make peace
Make treaties with foreign countries
Establish an army and navy
Appoint high-ranking military officials
Requisition, print, and borrow money
Establish weights and measures
Hear disputes among the states related to trade or boundaries
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Powers Denied to Government
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No power to raise funds for an army or navy
No power to tax, impose tariffs, or collect duties
No executive branch to enforce laws
No power to control trade among the states
No power to force states to honor obligations
No power to regulate the value of currency
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Accomplishments of the Articles
of Confederation
• Administered the seven-year
Revolutionary War effort
• Negotiated the Treaty of
Paris with Britain in 1783
• Established the Northwest
Ordinance of 1787
Map of the land settled in the
Northwest Ordinance of 1787
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Problems Facing the New Nation
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Problems with
Britain over fur trade
and not evacuating
forts, plus blocking
trade in Caribbean
Problems with Spain
over Caribbean
trade, Mississippi
River, Florida
boundary
Financing the nation
Interstate relations
(between states)
A 1783 cartoon satirizing relations
between Britain and America
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Articles of Confederation
Strengths
• To declare war and make
peace.
• To coin and borrow money
• To negotiate with foreign
countries and sign treaties
• To operate post offices
Weaknesses
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The national government could not
force the states to obey its laws.
It did not have the power to tax
It did not have the power to enforce
laws
Congress lacked strong and steady
leadership
There was no national army or navy
There was no system of national courts
Each state could issue its own paper
money
Each state could put tariffs on trade
between states. (A tariff is a tax on
goods coming in from another state or
country.)
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