Articles of Confederation 1777. Strengths Land Ordinance 1785 & NW Ordinance 1787.
1777-1790. The Articles of Confederation Essential Question: How effective was government under the...
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Transcript of 1777-1790. The Articles of Confederation Essential Question: How effective was government under the...
A MORE PERFECT UNION
1777-1790
The Articles of Confederation Essential Question:
How effective was government under the Articles of Confederation?
From Independent States to a Republic MAIN IDEA: The Articles of
Confederation created a weak central government and strong state governments
Important for the Second Continental Congress to create a government that would satisfy the needs of all 13 states
State Constitutions
By 1780, all 13 states adopted their own state constitutions
Cautious about giving too much power to a single rulerLimited the power of the governorPennsylvania replaced their governor
with an elected council of 12 members
Limiting Power
States divided the government’s responsibilitiesGovernorBicameral Legislature
○ Two house legislature used to divide government even further
Writers of the constitutions wanted to limit government and keep power in the hands of the people
Forming a Republic
Americans agreed that their country should be a republicA government in which citizens rule
through elected representatives People assumed the states would act
like independent countries only coming together to wage wars or handle foreign affairs
Planning a New Government Articles of Confederation adopted on
March 1, 1781States kept most of their power“a firm league of friendship”
Articles of Confederation
StrengthsCan conduct foreign affairsCan maintain armed forcesCan borrow moneyCan issue currency
Articles of Confederation Weaknesses
Congress cannot pass a law unless all states vote in favor of it
Consent of all states is required in order to change the Articles of Confederation
Congress cannot regulate tradeCannot force soldiers to join the armyCannot impose taxesno plan for admitting new states into the nationNo chief executiveEach state receives one vote regardless of
population
New Land Policies
The Northwest Ordinance1787 – Land north of the Ohio River and
east of the Mississippi River were to be divided up into territories
When population reached 60,000 they could petition for statehood
A Bill of Rights was written to guarantee settlers freedom of religion, trial by jury and prohibit slavery!
Financial Problems By 1781, money printed during the
Revolutionary War was almost useless States printed their own money
No gold or silver to back it up means it has no real value
Prices soared and led to food riots in some places Congress owed a huge debt from the war but
could not pay it offNo power to taxStates not required to give money when asked for
it
Problems With Other Nations British did not uphold promise made with the
Treaty of Paris to remove troops from lands east of the Mississippi RiverAccurately accused Americans of not paying Loyalists
as promised Spain
To prevent America from expanding into its territory, Spain closed off the lower Mississippi
Americans attempted to reach an agreement with Spain but were unsuccessful
Articles of Confederation were too weak to deal with these problems
Colonial leaders began to realize they needed a stronger government
Making Connections Why did most states limit the power of their
governor and divide the legislature into two bodies?Experience with British rule made them
cautious about giving too much power to single rulers or political bodies
Why did the Continental Congress have difficulty raising money?Lacked the power to tax or require the
states to contribute money to the government
Making Connections
How do you think the Northwest Ordinance would affect Native Americans?
How effective was government under the Articles of Confederation?Lacked important economic and
diplomatic powers
Convention and Compromise Essential Question:
Why is the Constitution a document of compromise?
Convention and Compromise By 1786, many Americans were blaming the
inadequate Confederation for the nation’s foreign policy problems as well as its economic troubles. Edmund Randolph of Virginia, one of 55 delegates call to Philadelphia for the specific purpose of revising the Articles of Confederation, delivered the opening speech saying, “It is absolutely necessary in this difficult crisis to prevent America’s downfall.” from Our Nation’s Great Heritage
A Call For Change
The government under the Articles of Confederation faced many problemsUS experiences a depressionSouthern plantations damaged during
the warTrade declined when British cut off the
West Indies What little money they had went to
paying off debt
Trouble For Farmers
Americans farmers sufferedCould not sell their goodsHad their land taken when they couldn’t
pay high state taxesMany put in jailEventually, they started to rebel
Shays’s Rebellion 1786 – Led by former Continental Army Captain
Daniel Shays, farmers in Massachusetts forced courts to close so judges could not imprison anyone
1787 – Shays leads more than 1,000 farmers to Springfield, Massachusetts in search of weapons and ammunition
State militia fired on farmers, killing four and ending the rebellion
The rebellion worried Americans that the government could not control unrest and prevent violence
The Issues of Slavery
Revolutionary War ideals caused many people to question slavery
1774 – Quakers organized the first Americans anti-slavery societyMany northern states adopted laws that
gradually end slaveryVirginia passed a law that encouraged
manumission and the number of free African Americans in America grew
The Constitutional Convention James Madison and Alexander Hamilton
were active in the movement for change of the Articles of Confederation
Hamilton proposed a convention in Philadelphia to discuss changes
Presence of George Washington and Benjamin Franklin made people trust the outcome of the convention
55 delegates – No Native Americans, African Americans or women
James Madison – “Father of the Constitution”
Organization
George Washington chosen to preside over the meetings
Each state had one vote Meetings were not open to the public
Virginia and New Jersey Plans Both Plans
Were federal systems with three branches – legislative, executive and judicial
Gave the federal government more powers than it had under the Articles of Confederation
Virginia Plan Legislative Branch
Powerful LegislatureTwo houses, with membership proportional to
state’s populationLower house elected by the peopleUpper house elected by the lower house
Executive BranchChosen by legislatureLimited powerCould veto legislation, subject to override
Judicial BranchWould serve for lifeCould veto legislation, subject to override
New Jersey Plan Legislative Branch
One house with equal representation from all states
Legislature could collect taxes from all states Executive Branch
Chosen by CongressWould serve a single termSubject to recall on request of state governors
Judicial BranchAppointed by executive branchWould serve for life
Compromise Wins Out
The states voted to work toward a national government based on the Virginia Plan
Had to resolve the issues of representation in small and big states
The Great Compromise
Agreement proposed to solve issue of representation between big and small statesLower house – House of
Representatives – seats for each state would be based on representation
Upper house – The Senate – each state has two members
The Three Fifths Compromise Delegates compromised on how to
count enslaved people as part of a state’s population
Three Fifths CompromiseCount enslaved people as 3/5 of a
person for taxation and representation
Slave Trade
Northern states banned slave trade and wanted Southern states to do the same
Slave trade was essential to Southern economy
Northerners agreed not to interfere in the slave trade until 1808
Approving the Constitution Committee finished writing the
Constitution on September 17, 1787 and assembled in Philadelphia to sign
Sent to the states for approval 9 of 13 states required for adoption
Making Connections
What key issues had to be resolved to create a Constitution most states would accept?
Why is the Constitution a document of compromise?Delegates had to compromise on issues
like power distribution, representation and slavery
A New Plan of Government Essential Question:
What ideas and features are found in the US Constitution?
A New Plan of Government As Benjamin Franklin was leaving the last
session of the Constitutional Congress, a woman asked, “Well Doctor, what have we got: a republic or a monarchy?” Franklin answered, “a republic, if you can keep it.” He meant that in order to maintain a republic – a system of government in which the people elect representatives to exercise power for them – citizens must take an active role. Quoted in “Papers of Dr. James McHenry 1787”
Roots of the Constitution
As the Framers wrote the Constitution, they borrowed ideas from other political systems and philosophersEnglish Magna Carta (1215) placed limits on
the power of the monarchEnglish Bill of Rights of 1609John Locke: Natural Rights to life liberty and
propertyBaron de Montesquieu: Powers of government
should be separated and balanced against each other
The Federalist System Federalism
Sharing of powers between federal and state governments
Federal government developed the legislative, executive and judicial branches
States had the power toRegulate trade within their bordersEstablish local governments and schools Set marriage and divorce lawsTaxAdminister criminal justice
The Constitution became the supreme law of the land
The New Government - Branches
The Constitution divides and limits its power among three branches of governmentLegislativeExecutiveJudicial
Legislative
Law making branch House of Representatives and Senate
(Congress) Collect taxes Coin money Declare war Raise and support armies Make all laws “necessary and proper” to
fulfill its functions
Executive
Headed by the President Commander in chief of the armed forces Carry out the nation’s laws and policies Conducts relations with foreign nations President and vice president elected by
the electoral college Serves a 4 year term
Judicial
“one supreme court” and any other lower federal courts
Hear cases involving the Constitution, laws passed by Congress, and disputes between states
Debate and Adoption A great debate took place throughout the
country as 9 out of the 13 states had to ratify the new Constitution
FederalistsSupporters of the new ConstitutionGeorge Washington and Benjamin FranklinFederalist Papers: series of essays explaining
and defending the Constitution Anti-federalists
Anti-federalist PapersAfraid a strong national government would take
away American libertiesFavored local governments
Adopting the Constitution Several states approved the
Constitution only with the understanding that it would include a Bill of Rights amendment Something added to a document
May 1790 – The nation celebrated its new government
Bill is written and introduced to the House of Representatives by a member
Bill is read aloud for the first time and assigned to a committee
Bill is read for the second time
Members of the House debate Bill and vote on whether or not it should be a law
The committee studies Bill and makes a report
Bill is accepted by the Senate
Bill is sent to the Senate, where it goes through the same process
Bill is accepted by the House
The President vetoes the bill. The legislature may override the veto with a two-thirds vote.
The President signs the bill into law.
Making Connections Why does the Constitution divide power among
branches of government?
If a state law conflicts with a federal law, which law will prevail? How do you know?Federal – The Constitution is the Supreme law of
the land
Answer the Essential Question: What ideas
and features are found in the United States Constitution?