Section 11: How did the Articles of Confederation organize the first national government?
Terms: Articles of Confederation, national government, Northwest Ordinance, Shay’s Rebellion
What are the Articles of Confederation?

National government needed to unify states for commerce and war

Lee proposed Articles of Confederation at 2nd Cont. Congress

Articles of Confederation served as first constitution
What problems did the Founders face in writing the Articles of Confederation?

People feared strong national government

People questioned how states would be represented in Congress
o Small states feared being ignored
How did the Articles of Confederation organize the national government?

National government only made up of legislature (no executive or judicial branches)

States retained power; each state had one representative; majority had to approve
legislative decisions (war needed 9/13)
What did the national government achieve under the Articles of Confederation?

Declared war against England

Treaty of Paris—ended Revolutionary War

State Laws upheld

Northwest Ordinance—western land could become states—no slavery/free public edu.
What problems did the country experience under the Articles of Confederation?

Congress did not have money or power to raise money

Congress had no power of states or citizens

Congress couldn’t make states live up to trade agreements with other nations

Congress had no power to regulate trade between states

Citizens thought that their property rights were threatened
Why was Shays’ Rebellion important?

Farmers of Massachusetts had economic problems--low prices led to debt, loss of
farm land, lost homes

Shay’s Rebellion: group of farmers led by Daniel Shay attempted to close down court

2000 rebels raided federal arsenal--people worried that law and order could not be
maintained
How did Shays’ Rebellion force people to examine the weaknesses of the national
government?

The violence of Shay’s Rebellion highlighted the national government’s ability to enforce
laws and maintain control

Philadelphia conventions called to revise the Articles of Confederation
Lesson 11: Page 102
1. Why did the people in the newly independent states fear a strong national government?
The people feared a strong national government because they believed that the British
government had deprived them of their rights. They thought a national government would
be too far away from the people and would too become too powerful.
2. What were the Article of Confederation? How did the Articles organize the national
government to address the fears of the people of the states?
The Articles of Confederation was the first constitution of the nation. It created a
national government. It was organized to ease fears of the people. It contained only a
legislative branch. Congress had very little power over the states and people. Congress
needed approval of states for each action. Each state was given one representative. Nine
of the thirteen states had to approve important decisions.
3. What parts of government were not included in the Articles of Confederation?
The Articles of Confederation only established the legislative branch of government. It
did not include an executive or judicial branch.
4. What did the national government achieve under the Articles of Confederation?
The national government successfully declared war of Great Britain, negotiated the
Treaty of Paris to end the war, made states recognize each other’s laws, and passed the
Northwest Ordinance of 1787.
5. What were the weaknesses of national government under the Articles?
Congress had no power to tax and so had no money. Congress had no power over states or
citizens. Congress had no power to enforce international trade agreements or trade
between states. Congress could not protect property rights.
6. Why was Shay’s Rebellion an important event?
Shay’s Rebellion highlighted the weakness of the national government--their lack of
power. People questions if the Articles provided what was needed to maintain law and
order. Shay’s Rebellion eventually called for the revision of the Articles--which instead
resulted in the U.S. Constitution.
Activities: Choose One
1. Learn more about Shay’s Rebellion. Make a poster illustrating the farmers’ point of view
2. Create a short play that shows one of the problems of government under the Articles of
Confederation. Perform the play for your class.
3. Learn more about the Northwest Ordinance of 1787. Explain how the ordinance provided
for public education or the importance of forbidding slavery in the territories.