Chapter 2 Section 3
 1777 – committee appointed by Congress presented a
plan
 Continued the structure and
operation of government
 March 1781 – all 13
states had ratified
 Unicameral – single-chamber Congress
 Committee of the States – one delegate from each state
managed the government when Congress was not
assembled
 No federal court system
 Congress settled disputes among states
 Each state had one vote in Congress
 State legislatures selected its own representatives
 Congress Powers
 Make war and peace
 Send and receive ambassadors
 Enter into treaties
 Raise and equip a navy
 Maintain an army by requesting troops from the states
 Appoint senior military officers
 Fix standards of weights and measures
 Regulate Indian affairs
 Establish post offices
 Decide certain disputes among the states
 Created a weak national government
 Congress did not have the power to levy or collect
taxes
 Congress did not have the power to regulate trade
 Congress could not force anyone to obey the laws it
passed or to abide the by the Articles
 Laws needed the approval of 9 of the 13 states
 Each state had only one vote
 Amending or changing the Articles required the
consent of all states
 The central government did not have an executive
branch
 No unity in policy making
 No national court system
 Establishment of a fair policy for the development of
the lands west of the Appalachians
 Individual states could ceded, or yield land claims
 Land Ordinances
 The Ordinance of 1785
 Allowed for survey and division
 Northwest Ordinance of 1787
 Territories were to be developed for statehood
 Peace treaty with Great Britain – 1783
 Britain recognized American independence
 Congress set up departments of
 Affairs
 War
 Marine
 Treasury
 The structure of the central government could not
coordinate the actions of the states effectively
 States began to quarrel over boundary lines and
disputes
 Some states began to deal directly with foreign nations
 Congress could do little about these matters
 1787 – the government owed $40 million to foreign
governments
 American soldiers still unpaid
 1786 – economic depression left farmers and
merchants in debt
 Economic troubles led to rebellion
 Armed groups of farmers forced several courts
to close in order to
prevent farm
foreclosures
and the loss of
their farms
 Daniel Shays led a band that
closed the MA state
supreme court
 Gathered a force of 1200
Men and advanced on the
federal arsenal in Springfield
 MA militia put down the rebellion
 1. Identify human needs in the context of the larger
society
 2. Analyze how the weaknesses of the Articles of
Confederation affected colonial society
 3. Write 3 amendments
 4. Bring before the class and vote