FROM CONFEDERATION TO UNION: The Articles of Confederation and the Constitution.
The Confederation & the Constitution Chapter 9: The Articles of Confederation.
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Transcript of The Confederation & the Constitution Chapter 9: The Articles of Confederation.
The Confederation & the Constitution
Chapter 9: The Articles of Confederation
A New NationWhen Americans declared independence in 1776,
they needed to form a new government: –They wanted to form a republic where citizens
vote for elected leaders to represent them –They wanted to protect citizens & individual
states from a powerful national government
Americas 1st National GovernmentWhen independence was declared, the 13
colonies became independent states where each state had its own constitution, legislature, & an elected governor; 8 states had Bills of Rights.
The USA needed a national gov’t to do things that states could not, like sign treaties & form a military so they created the Articles of Confederation (1777-1789)
This “confederation” style of government loosely connected the states under a weak national
government
Confederation Government in New York City
Each state could send between 2-7 representatives to the national congress, but each state had only 1 voteTo pass a law,
9 of the 13 states had to agree
The national congress could make laws, settle disputes between
states, negotiate treaties, handle Indian affairs, oversee a military
But all other powers were left up to the states
Confederation Government in New York City
Americans did not want to re-create a powerful gov’t like the one they just fought the Revolutionary War
to break away from
So, the national gov’t had
no president & could not tax the states or citizens
The United States, 1783Areas of Settlement, 1783
The Articles established a good system of settling
western lands
Congress passed the Land Ordinance of 1785 to create an orderly way
to divide the west into townships & farms
Selling western lands was the only way the national
gov’t could generate money since it did not have the power to tax
The Northwest Ordinance of 1787When a territory had 5,000 residents, it could
create a self-governing legislature
When a territory had 60,000 residents, it could apply to become a U.S. state
Slavery was outlawed in the NW
Confederation Government in New York City
The inability of the government to collect taxes led to problems
U.S. Trade with Britain, 1783-1789
Debt
America could not pay off debts from
the Revolutionary War
Shay’s RebellionProperty foreclosures led an uprising among
Massachusetts farmers called Shays’ Rebellion in 1787 but the gov. couldn’t pay for an army to stop it.
Poor farmers in western MA were angered over high taxes & prospect of debtors jail
Daniel Shays led an uprising & closed debt courts & threatened a federal arsenal
Closing Task 10-13-15Students will read and analyze the Articles of
Confederation.
You will then answer questions regarding the specifics of the Articles of Confederation.
The Confederation & the Constitution
Chapter 9: The Constitutional Convention10-14-15
After Shays’ Rebellion, people like Hamilton & Madison began calling for a stronger national gov’t
In 1787, delegates met in Philadelphia to
discuss ways to improve the Articles
Instead of revising the Articles of Confederation, the delegates replaced it
with the Constitution
From May to September 1787, the delegates at the Constitutional Convention worked out a
framework for a new federal system of government
But, this plan for government had to be ratified by 9 states if it was to
replace the Articles of Confederation
Anti-Federalist v. Federalist Anti- Federalist- those who
opposed the Constitution, feared a stronger national government, and wanted states to remain power
The Anti-Federalists were led by Patrick Henry and Samuel Adams
Federalist- those who supported the new Constitution and a stronger national government
Federalist leaders James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay wrote a series of essays called the Federalist Papers to counter the arguments of the Anti-Federalists.
Anti- Federalist
Federalist
Some states ratified the Constitution quickly, but states with large majorities of Anti-Federalists
refused without a Bill of Rights to protect their liberty
New Hampshire was the 9th state to ratify the Constitution which went into effect in 1789, but the
Federalists wanted all 13 states to ratify the new gov’t In 1789, the Bill of Rights was introduced and the last two states ratified the Constitution by 1790
The ConstitutionThe Constitution was a radical shift from the
Articles of Confederation because it gave more power to the national government than to the state government.
The supremacy clause establishes the Constitution (not the states) as the "the supreme law of the land"
The ConstitutionThe national government under the Constitution
would have new features & powers that the Articles of Confederation did not have
Rather than a single unicameral Congress, the new national government would be divided among three equal branches of government
The Three Branches of GovernmentLegislative branch- to make laws Congress had
the power to tax & coin moneyExecutive branch-to lead the nation and enforce
laws passed by CongressJudicial branch-to interpret laws and prosecute
federal crimes
Critical Thinking Question B: Southern Slave States vs. Northern Free States
Northern & Southern states could not agree whether or not to count slaves towards population size
If slaves are counted, Southern states would have more votes and
power in the House of Representatives
The Three-Fifths Compromise allowed states to count three of every five slaves
toward taxation and population size
Many Northerners wanted to use the Constitutional
Convention to end slavery, but Southerners threatened
to leave the USA anytime slavery was discussed
As a compromise for the South, the slave trade
could continue for 20 more years & runaway slaves
would be returned to slave masters
Father of the ConstitutionJames Madison
negotiated and wrote much of the framework of the new government and is referred to as the “father of the Constitution”James Madison
Closing Task 10-14-15Using pages A35- A43 in your textbook you are to complete the “Understanding the Constitution” Handout.
Launching the New Ship of State
Chapter 10: Setting up the Government10-15-15
When the Constitution was ratified in 1789, George Washington was unanimously elected 1st president
Washington helped shape the new nation and created precedents for future presidents and leaders
During his first term, President Washington focused on domestic issues that would shape the new nation
Congress passed the Judiciary Act of 1789
which created federal courts
Washington’s CabinetWashington created the 1st cabinet (group of
advisors who head departments)Congress created the:
–Secretary of Treasury–Secretary of State–Secretary of War–Justice Departments
Henry Knox, Secretary of War
Alexander Hamilton, Secretary of Treasury
Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of State
George Washington, President
The First Cabinet
Alexander Hamilton was named Secretary of Treasury
(Treasury Department deals with issues involving money or taxes)
Thomas Jefferson was named Secretary of State
(State Department deals with issues involving foreign nations)
Hamilton and Jefferson were the most influential of Washington’s cabinet, but they had different
views on the role of government
Alexander Hamilton Thomas Jefferson
Watch this video clip from HBO’s John Adams seriesAs you watch, identify as many things as you can
that Jefferson and Hamilton disagree about
Closing Task 10-15-15
You will complete a matching time line activity on the New Nation.