The Articles of Confederation

The Articles of Confederation

The Articles were written in 1777 by John Dickinson, a Penn. Statesman

The original drafts of the Articles are modeled after existing state constitutions

The Articles were accepted by Congress in 1781 and is considered the first national constitution

The Articles of Confederation

The fear of having too much power in one person’s hands reflects the experiences the colonies had under a monarchy

In the Articles the state governments limit the power of the national Congress

Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation

Congress had no power to raise taxes

Congress had no power regulate foreign or state trade

Laws had to be approved by 9 out of 13 states

Congress did not have the power to enforce laws

Strengths of the Articles of Confederation

The Treaty of Paris 1783 was signed

The Northwest Ordinance was past

Had the power to declare war and peace, print money, make treaties and settle state disputes

Strengths of the Articles of Confederation: Settling Western Lands

The Land Ordinance of 1785, stated that land in the west was to be surveyed using a grid system to establish 6 mile blocks

The Northwest Ordinance assisted in the orderly expansion of the United States, it outlined a plan for applying for statehood to western territories

5,000 free males who own 50 acres can start govt

Population of 60,000 could become a state

Settling Western lands

The Northwest Ordinance provides an orderly settlement process in the West

It promised

no slavery

education

freedom of religion

trial by jury

Northwest Territory

The Northwest

Territory was east of

the Mississippi River

and north of the Ohio

River. The states of

Ohio, Indiana, Illinois,

Michigan, and

Wisconsin would be

formed from this area.

Reasons for Shay’s Rebellion

Farmers are required to pay debts in gold, they have no money because they were not paid during the war

Wealthy lawmakers invested their money in the war too. And seek to get money from the farmers debts

Shays’s Rebellion

Poor farmers are not represented in the Mass legislature and cannot pass debt relief laws

The rebellion will free debtors from prisons and close courts that are hearing cases against farmers

Shays’s Rebellion

The Mass militia is called out to stop it

Poor farmers in 1791 elect officials who support their stance and will close courthouses and demand financial help from the Congress

Shays’s Rebellion will prompt national leaders to create a stonger central government

Samuel Adams Said What?!

“Rebellion against a king may be pardoned, or lightly punished, but the man who dares to rebel against the laws of a republic ought to suffer death”

Views about Shays’s Rebellion

Adams will also write a law called the Riot Act, which prohibits 12 people or more from meeting and gives the government the power to shoot rioters!

Samuel sure has changed since 1776!

Thomas Jefferson Said What?!

"A little rebellion now and then is a good thing. It is a medicine necessary for the sound health of government. God forbid that we should ever be twenty years without such a rebellion."

Original Presidents of the U.S. John Hanson (1715 - 1783) - Served from November 5, 1781 until November 3, 1782,

first President of the United States under the Articles of Confederation.

Elias Boudinot (1741 - 1802) - Served from November 4, 1782 until November 2,

1783.

Thomas Mifflin (1744 - 1800) - Served from November 3, 1783 to November 29, 1784.

Richard Henry Lee (1732 - 1794) - Served from November 30, 1784 to November 22,

1785

John Hancock (1737 - 1793) - Served from November 23, 1885 to June 5, 1786.

Nathaniel Gorham (1738 - 1796) - Served from June 6, 1786 to February 1, 1787.

Arthur St. Clair (1734 - 1818) - Served from February 2, 1787 until January 21, 1788 -He even predicted that under the vastly expanded centralized power of the state the taxing powers of bureaucrats and other unelected

officials would eventually confiscate as much as a quarter of the income of the citizens - a notion that seemed laughable at the time but that

has proven to be ominously modest in light of our current governmental leviathan.

Cyrus Griffin (1736 - 1796) - Served as the nation's chief executive from

January 22, 1788 until George Washington's inauguration as the 1st

President under the new Constitution on March 4, 1789