1. I. The Articles of Confederation: The First Plan of Government of the United States

2. Forming New Governments • When independencewas declared from England in 1776, colonists considered themselves a new nation& needed a new gov’t: • Colonies became individual statesgoverned by written state constitutions • A national gov’twas needed to provide basic services like sign treaties& develop a military In 1776, the American Revolution has just started; The colonists did not wait to gain British recognitionof their independence before creating new governments!

3. States Constitutions • In 1776, the new states created written constitutionswhich: • Clearly defined the citizens’ rights& the limitsof government • Guaranteed naturalrights • Almost all states reduced the powers of the governor& kept most power in the hands of the people via state legislatures

4. Defining Republican Culture Why do you think this was? • But, creating a national gov’t that met everyone’s needs was hard: • How to balance individual libertywith maintaining order? • How to create a centralizedgov’t without creating a new tyrannicalauthority?

5. Defining Republican Culture • Americans set out to create a republicanform of government after independence was declared: • Gov’t with no king • With power held by the citizens • Representativeswould serve people • Even though all previous republics had failed, Americans were optimistictheirs would be different. “uncompromising commitment to liberty & equality”

6. II. The Articles of Confederation: How Did It Work?

7. Articles of Confederation • The Articles of Confederation was adopted as America’s 1st national gov’t in 1777 (but ratifiedin 1781) • The Articles established an intentionallyweakcentral gov’t where states held the majorityof the power Why would the young United States want a weak government? Signedofficially into law

8. Each of the13 states received 1 vote in a unicameralcongress • This means that each state, no matter its population, received one vote. Should a state with 500,00 people get 1 vote while a state with 1,000 gets 1 vote? • Also, there was no national president. One bodyor group of people Too similar to a king

9. The Articles of Confederation What problem might arise if changes must be approved by ALL 13 states? • The only powersgranted to the national government under the Articleswere: • settle disputes between states • negotiate treaties • handle Indianaffairs • oversee a military • It could NOT: taxcitizens or states; could only requestthatpeople pay up • Amending the gov’t required agreement by all 13 states

10. III. The Articles of Confederation: What did it do well? Organize Territory!

11. So, did the Articles do anything that was good? Organize territory! • After the revolution, the United States received a lot of land that was previously occupied by Britain. • The Articles of Confederation passed two lawsto help organize this territory:

12. The USA in the “Critical Period” The United States, 1783

13. What do you notice in this aerial view? THIS was created by the Land Ordinance!

14. The Land Ordinance of 1785 • The U.S. gov’t was eager to sell off Western lands to settlers to gain revenue(since the gov’t did not have the power to tax) • Established an orderly process for laying out western townships • 6 mile by 6 mile sections (36 square miles). Townships also had 36 “lots” • Some lots could be sold as is, some could be broken into parts. • Section 16 of the each township was dedicated to public schools

16. The NorthwestOrdinance • The Northwest Ordinance (1787) gave structureto the NW territory: • Created new territories and future statesof OH ,MI, IN, IL, WI • Residents could apply for statehood with 60,000 people • Slaveryoutlawed in NW lands • First attemptto address the issue of slavery!

17. Because of the 1785 & 1787 ordinances, the Northwest territories were well organized & orderly Prospectors poured into Kentucky & Tennessee The United States, 1783 By 1790, the region was plagued by land claims & counterclaims that generated lawsuits for years The USA in 1787 Territories south of the Ohio River received less attention from Congress

18. IV. The Articles of Confederation: The Final Straw

19. Shay’sRebellionin Western Massachusetts Government could not force states to pay taxes, therefore it could not pay soldiers - Daniel Shays served in Rev War and had his farm seizedbecause he had not paid his taxes, but he wasn’t paid by gov’t for his service - He led an uprisingthat seized federal arsenal; eventually squashed, but it showedthe failures of the new gov’t. Country was not strong enough to prevent ordinary citizens leading dangerousrebellion. This was theevent that urged founders to create the ConstitutionalConvention

20. Conclusions • The Articles of Confederation accomplished exactlywhat its framers intended: • A weak government ensured nobody could seizecontrol, but it also made government very ineffective. • The U.S. needed a stronger central government, but with safeguardsto prevent someone from becoming too powerful.

21. “Have We Fought for This?” “Have we fought for this?Was it with these expectations that we launched into a sea of trouble?” —George Washington, 1785

22. V. The Debate Over A New Government

23. The PhiladelphiaConvention • In May 1787, 55 delegatesfrom all states (except RI) met to discuss revising the Articles of Confederation, but it soon became apparent that something more serious was needed Delegates elected George Washington to preside over Convention. They did NOTintend to replace the Articles

24. Inventinga Federal Republic • Delegates incorporated 4major principles into this new gov’t: • Limited gov’t—even though government will have more power, it still must have limits! • Republicanism—the people vote for their leaders • Separation of powers—three branches with defined powers • Federalism—the national gov’t shares power with state gov’ts

25. Everyone agreed that the new government will have 3branches: Legislative Branch Judicial Branch Executive Branch But, there was great disagreementover how states would be represented in the legislativebranch.

26. Large states favoredVirginia Plan Created bicamerallegislature (two bodies or groups of people). State are represented based on their population Thoughts from the small states? Proposed by James Madison, the “father of the Constitution.”

27. Smaller states favoredNew Jersey Plan Keep unicameral legislature of Articles All states should be represented equally Proposed by William Paterson. A state is a state: population should not matter!

28. The Deal? The Great Compromise Also called the Connecticut Compromise. Created a bicamerallegislature. Proposed by Roger Sherman. This compromise both large and small states!

29. The Great Compromise House of Representatives The Senate - states receive representation (votes) based on their population - favors largelypopulated states - All states represented evenly (2 senatorsfor each state) - Favors smaller populated states Q: Which branch is more reflective of the American people? Why?

30. The House’s 435 members are on the right side of the capital… The Senate’s 100 members are on the left side of the Capitol… Of course this is flipped when we walk behind the Capitol…

31. Now that the issue of HOW states will be represented in the new government is settled…

32. How will slavescount? Southernstates wanted to count their slaves as people, since it would give more representation in the House of Reps. Northernstates opposed counting slaves. If south can count property, can we? • What was the deal? The 3/5 Compromise: • Slaves would count as 3/5 of a person (or for every 5slaves, population will increase by 3people.)

33. Now, it’s time for the states to vote! This is called ratification. Supporters of the Constitution = FEDERALISTS Used the Federalist Papers to argue the government needed to be stronger! Against the Constitution = ANTI- FEDERALISTS Believed Constitution placed too much powerin gov’t; favored the elite Alexander Hamilton Thomas Jefferson James Madison George Mason After months of debate, Federalist and Anti-Federalists finally reached a solution… John Jay

34. Anti-Federalists would support Constitution IF a Bill of Rights was added. This is a list of rights and freedomsguaranteed to all people This would guaranteegov’t could not become too strong To satisfy Anti-Federalists, 10 amendments (or changes) are added to protect the people.