ESSENTIAL QUESTION

What powers were granted & denied to the national govt under the Articles of Confederation?

THE ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION

Chapter 8 Section 1 Pt I

EARLY DISAGREEMENTS When the Continental

Congress met in 1776, they began to plan the new national govt.

The delegates agreed that the govt. should be a republic

However, disagreements btwn large & small states were common Small states claimed each

state should have one vote Large states argued that

voting should be based on population

THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY Delegates also argued over

claims in the lands west of the Appalachians This largely unsettled land

was known, at the time, as the “Northwest Territory”

Several states that bordered this unsettled land claimed it as their own including:

VA, NC, SC, GA Even states that DID NOT

share a border also claimed western lands including:

NY, CT, MA These claims caused major

controversy amongst the states

APPROVAL The Cont. Congress,

after much debate, finally approved the first plan for the new govt. in 1781 The Articles of

Confederation would be run by a “Confederation Congress”

The Congress would be made up of freely elected representatives from each of the 13 states

Each state received one vote

POWERS GRANTED The states left the following

powers to the Congress:1. Conduct foreign affairs2. Declare war & make

peace3. Issue or borrow money4. Control Western territories5. Manage Native American

affairs6. Run the postal service

POWERS DENIED The Confed. Congress, however, was severely

limited b/c it lacked the power to:1. Establish an Executive Branch (No President)2. Enforce national laws3. Enact and collect taxes4. Regulate trade5. Establish federal courts6. Amend the Articles of Confed.

All these powers were reserved for the states & their govts This left the CC w/o sufficient power to govern

effectively In essence, the states mirrored Europe (small

nation-states that all competed with one another)

LAND ORDINANCE OF 1785 The Confederation Congress

adeptly wrote laws on the division & governing of the newly acquired territories known as the Land Ordinance of 1785

This law stipulated that surveyors would stake out six square-mile plots, called townships, in these lands

Each township would be split into 36 square-mile plots, which could be purchased for $640/ plot

NORTHWEST ORDINANCE The law passed by the Confed.

Congress that set up the governing of the NW Territory became known as the NW Ordinance The law possessed many

democratic features:1. When each territory had

5,000 adult males, men who owned 50 acres of land could elect an assembly

2. When the pop. reached 60,000 people, the territory could apply to become a state- Slavery was outlawed- River travel was open to

all- Freedom of religion & trial

by jury were guaranteed

SHAYS' REBELLION One major issue the Confed.

Congress had was an inability to levy taxes The national govt. relied on the

states for $, often which the states were not willing to send

This issue came to a head in a major way in Jan 1787 in MA

MA’s refusal to grant debt relief to its citizens led to an uprising known as Shays’ Rebellion Led by former CA soldier, Daniel

Shays, his followers marched on a federal arsenal, or weapons warehouse

Shays & his men were quickly met and dispersed by 1000 state militia

SUMMARY/TEST QUESTION Which of the following had the most

power under the Articles of Confederation?a. National Govtb. State Govtsc. Federalistsd. Anti-Federalists

SUMMARY/TEST QUESTION Under the A of C, Congress could not

tax. How did this weaken the national govt?a. Congress could not borrow $b. Congress could not settle disputes btwn the

statesc. Congress could not issue $d. It made Congress dependent on the states for $