Name: ____________________________________________ Per. ___ Date: _________________________________
Outline Notes – Chapter 7 Lesson 1 – The Articles of Confederation
In your opinion, why do people form governments? (timed/pair/share) ______________________________________
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Guiding Question: What kind of government was created in the new United States by the Articles of Confederation?
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After defeating Britain in the Revolutionary War, the 13 independent states faced the challenge of governing
themselves
- Each state wrote its own constitution.
- Many states set up bicameral legislatures in order to divide up the work of government (Bicameral means
having ______ separate lawmaking chambers) [ pg. 177]
- The state constitutions aimed to keep most of the power in the hands of the people (not in the hands of any one
person)
- In most states, only ____________ males who were at least 21 years of age or older could vote. These men
also had to own a certain amount of _____________________ or pay a certain amount of ______________.
(pg. 177)
In addition to forming state governments, the American people had to form a national government.
- People agreed that the new nation/country should be a republic
- A republic is a type of government where the people rule through elected representatives (in other words, the
people vote to see who is going to represent them in the government)
- The nation’s first written constitution was called, The Articles of Confederation (1777)
The Articles of Confederation created a weak central government.
- Under the Articles of Confederation, the individual ______________ kept most of their power. (pg. 178)
- Under the Articles of Confederation, there was no chief executive. (like a president)
Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation:
- Congress had no authority to raise money($) by collecting _______________. (pg. 179)
- Congress had no control over foreign trade.
- Congress could not force states to carry out its laws.
- All 13 states had to agree to any amendment, making it nearly impossible to correct
problems.
It soon became clear that the new national government under the Articles of Confederation was too weak to handle the
problems facing the young United States. A new, better, stronger system of government was needed.
The Ordinance of 1785:
- Passed by the Confederation Congress, an ordinance, or law, that set up the process by which lands north of the
Ohio River could be sold.
The Northwest Ordinance, passed in 1787, created a single Northwest Territory from lands north of the Ohio River and
east of the Mississippi River.
- The Northwest Ordinance had a bill of rights for the settlers in the territory.
- The Northwest Ordinance guaranteed freedom of religion and trial by jury.
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The Northwest Ordinance stated in a clause that ________________________ was not allowed in the territory.
(a clause is a special condition in a written document) [ pg. 181]
Land Act of 1800:
- Law passed by Congress in 1800 making it easier for people to buy land in the territory.
Ways the Confederation Government was Weak
- Currency/paper money depreciated in value (to fall in value); money was worth almost nothing
- The Continental Congress faced a large debt from fighting the Revolutionary War.( without the ability to tax the
people, the Confederation government could not raise the _________ needed to pay off its debts.)[ pg. 182]
Plan for Import Tax
- Cite evidence from the text (pg. 182) that explains why a plan by Robert Morris to create a tax on imported
goods (import tax) to help pay off the national debt was unsuccessful. (why didn’t his plan work?)
Answer: My evidence is….. _______________________________________________________________________
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Relations with Britain
- American merchants were being blocked by the British on the seas of the Atlantic Ocean from getting to the
West Indies and other British markets to trade.
- In the Treaty of Paris it stated that Britain promised to move out of all the lands east of the Mississippi River.
British troops were still occupying several forts in the Great Lakes Region.
Relations with Spain
- Spain controlled Florida as well as the lands west of the Mississippi River.
- Spain was very concerned about America wanting to expand into Spain’s territory west of the Mississippi River.
- Spain closed the lower __________________ River to American shipping in 1784. (western settlers and farmers
could no longer use the Mississippi River, which they relied on to ship goods to market.) [ pg. 183]
*The _______________________ of the Articles of Confederation and its inability to deal with problems worried many
American leaders, including George Washington. Many Americans began to agree that the country needed a better,
stronger system of government. [ pg. 183 ]