The Articles of Confederation -...
Transcript of The Articles of Confederation -...
The Articles of
Confederation
1777-1787
During the American Revolution
• States organized their governments and
adopted their own state constitutions.
• But, Americans needed to establish their
own national government now that
they were no longer under British rule.
• Americans wanted the country to be a
republic. A republic is a government
with elected representatives.
• The Articles of Confederation (a plan for
government) were sent to the states
(colonies) in 1777 for approval. These
articles were America’s first constitution.
• Ratification was delayed until 1781
because of western settlement disputes
amongst the states.
During the American Revolution
• Leaders met to decide what this new plan
of government should look like, and in
their discussions, they had 8 very
important questions to answer…
During the American Revolution
Question #1
Which level of government
should have the most power,
state or national? Why?
• Most Americans favored a weak central
government and strong independent
states.
• Because…people were reluctant to
replace one powerful government with
another (fear of tyranny)
• Each state kept, “its sovereignty,
freedom, and independence”.
Question #2
Which branches will be
included? Why?
• The decided on a unicameral (one house)
legislature – just one lawmaking group.
• Because…they didn’t want a large national
government.
• This one branch legislature would be called
Congress.
• There would be NO executive, chief
executive, King, or President (again, fear of
tyranny).
Question #3
How will states be represented
in the legislative branch? Why?
• The Articles decided there would be
equal representation – each state gets
the same number of votes (1).
• Because…they wanted each state to
have equal power.
• States could determine how many
representatives they were able to
send.
Question #4
How will representatives be
selected? Why?
• They decided there would be indirect
elections, and representatives would
be chosen by state government
officials.
• Because…they didn’t trust the average
citizen to make the right choice.
• Most of the power was in the hands
of state officials.
Question #5
How long will representatives
serve? Why?
• They decided representatives would
serve one year terms.
• Because…they were trying to prevent
tyranny and corruption.
Question #6
How will laws be passed? Why?
• They decided that at least nine of the
13 states must approve a law for it to
be passed.
• Because…they believed that laws
would only be effective with strong
support from the states.
Question #7
How will the government raise
money? Why?
• They decided that they would ask the
states for money.
• Because…they didn’t want the
national government to have a lot of
power when it came to taxing – they
would rather rely on state support.
Question #8
How will the national
government’s powers be
limited? Why?
• They decided that the national
government’s powers would be
limited by state powers – the states
would be more powerful than the
national government.
• Because…they wanted to prioritize
state needs over national needs, and
again, they wanted to prevent
tyranny in the national government.
In summary, the Articles of
Confederation called for:
• A limited central (national) government.
• One branch legislature called Congress.
• No executive, chief executive, king, or president.
• No national courts.
• All states would have equal representatives AND
one single vote.
• 9 states had to agree before a bill became law.
• All 13 states had to ratify the Articles (1781).
According to the Articles, the national
government can/did:
• Create a plan of government – The
Articles of Confederation.
• Negotiate treaties especially the Treaty
of Paris of 1783; successfully ending the
American Revolution
• Declare war
Successes
According to the Articles, the national
government can/did:
• Make peace
• Create new land policies
• Run the national postal office
• Conduct foreign relations with other
countries & Native Americans
Successes
According to the Articles of Confederation, the
national government had almost no power. It
could NOT:
• regulate trade amongst the states;
• amend (change) the Articles unless all 13
states gave its consent;
• force citizens to join the army nor pay
for it;
• pass a law unless nine states voted for it;
Weaknesses
According to the Articles of Confederation, the
national government had almost no power. It
could NOT:
collect taxes. They had to ask the states for
money to pay for the army and war debts;
and each state had their own currency -
confusing.
And…each state had one vote in Congress.
State population did not matter, although
larger, more populated states believed that
they should have more votes.
Weaknesses
To Rewrite or Not to Rewrite? That
is the question…
•By 1786, chaos ensued. The economy was in
trouble, states were quarreling over boundary lines
& rebellions in Massachusetts (Shay’s Rebellion)
demonstrated the government’s inability to
maintain law & order.
• In 1787, Alexander Hamilton organized a meeting
of the Continental Congress in Philadelphia. It was
time to make some changes to the Articles. It was at
this meeting that the delegates threw out the
Articles & developed the Constitution.