APUSH The Critical Period & the Constitutional Convention of 1787 These United States Americans were citizens of their states 1 st State constitutions, , had Bicameral legislatures (except PA) Weak executives Bills of Rights Frequent elections Expansion of suffrage They were citizens of the US 2 nd John Adams called it a confederacy of stateseach of which must have a separate government It was NOT a single nation The Articles of Confederation General Principles Strong statement of states rights Congress powers were limited The Army had gone home They didnt have any money to incentivize the states League of friendship/common defense & general welfare Established a common treasury Laws were passed with a 9/13 vote Amendments to the Articles needed 13/13 vote Money Problems The country was in debt $160 million from the war Some was owed to foreign countries, some to private citizens Some of it was paid for by just printing more money People didnt like this because printing money causes inflation The money lost 98% of its value & wasnt worth a Continental Money Problems, cont Congress tried to get the AoC amended so that it would have the power to tax It failed twice In the meantime, the states were steadily decreasing their contributions to Congress By the late 1780s, the states were behind in paying 80% of the funds requested by Congress to operate the government & pay off the debt Problems with Foreign Countries When the war ended, Spain started claiming land that the U.S. had won as a result of the Am Rev. France started demanding repayment of its loans to the US Britain stopped trading with the US, refused to remove troops from the NW, & refused diplomatic relations with the US until the US paid war debts Economic Recession After the wars end, there were few jobs & no money, but so the states did everything they could to raise money so they could pay off their debt to Congress The states tightened credit (banks couldnt loan money) The states fought over boundaries (for control of resources) States taxed each other They demanded payment of taxes in specie They brought lawsuits against debtors Farmers Problems A major economic depression began in 1784 In 1786 MA voted to pay off its debt in three years This meant a HUGE tax hike MA Farmers didnt have the money to pay--& not in specie Farmers turned to bartering & were used to paying off debts when they could, not immediately as was now demanded by the state government Massachusetts Farmers Fight Back Shays Rebellion, 1786 Daniel Shays got 2000 angry men to pick up muskets They stormed courthouses & stopped farm auctions (preventing foreclosures) They demanded their farms back in 3 western MA counties In a letter to John Adams, James Warren explained how bad things had gotten: We are now in a state of anarchy and confusion bordering on a civil war The Rebellion was Crushed The army was sent to arrest the leaders BUT, many of Shays followers were later elected to the MA legislature There they cut taxes & got Shays pardoned The Country in Jeopardy Legacy of Shays Rebellion Many, like GW, believed the nation was becoming ungovernable I predict the worst consequences from a half-starved, limping government, always moving upon crutches and tottering at every step. I do not conceive we can exist long as a nation without having lodged somewhere a power which will pervade the whole Union in as energetic a manner as the authority of the state governments extends over the several states. Many Feared that Americans had learned the lesson of the Revolution only too well When they didnt like the tyranny of King George they rebelled Now, when they didnt like the tyranny of their states they rebelled Pair Share With your table partner, come up with a thesis statement & 2 examples that answer the 2003 AP Essay Q: Evaluate the extent to which the Articles of Confederation were effective in solving the problems that confronted the new nation. Successes Ran the war & negotiated peace with Great Britain Ordinance of 1785 Northwest Ordinance, 1787 Failures Foreign policy/defense Finances/getting the states to pay Call for changes to the Articles fail? In 1786, 5 states tried to solve interstate trade problems They needed 9 states to agree, but they could only get 5 But what came out of it was a pledge to review the AoC to render the constitution of the federal government adequate for the exigencies of the Union. Congress invited the states to send representatives to Philadelphia in May of the next year for the sole and express purpose of revising the Articles of Confederation. Madison and Hamilton went to work to convince Washington to attend. They feared that without his pre-announced support of the convention, that they wouldnt get enough states to attend. Madisons wife, Dolley, got Martha Washington to agree The PA Statehouse (aka Independence Hall) They met in the same room where the D of I was signed It was a HOT summer May through September The window was kept shut for privacy & to keep bugs out Three Month of Debate The Virginia Plan Favored large states The New Jersey Plan Favored smaller states Impasse on other issues debated Connecticut Compromise Aspects favoring both big and small The Constitution Abandonment of AoC principles Federalism Checks & Balances Ratification of the Constitution of 1787 Federalists Federalist Papers Anti-federalists No Bill of Rights 9/13 needed to ratify