The Articles of Confederation: 1781-1789

1. The Articles of Confederation:1781-1789

2. What were the Articles of Confederation? • the first constitution of the United States • went into effect in 1781 • reflected colonists' fear of strong central gov’t • gave individual states more power and created a weak national government • The Articles of Confederation set up a confederation among the 13 states, that is, an alliance of independent states in which states give as much power as they choose to the central government. • The Articles were more like a treaty among the states than a plan of centralized government.

3. Achievements of the Confederation Government • Successful end to the American Revolution • Negotiation of the Treaty of Paris which ended the war and set U.S. borders as Canada, the Mississippi River, and Florida • passage of the Land Ordinance of 1785 and Northwest Ordinance of 1787 • The Articles set a pattern of development of the Northwest Territory and provided guidelines by which new states could join the nation. • Slavery was prohibited in the Northwest Territory

6. Problems under the Confederation Government • While there were some successes under the Articles of Confederation, the Confederation government proved too weak to deal with problems during the Critical Period (1780s). • The new nation suffered from severe economic problems while its government was unable to command respect at home and overseas.

7. Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation • States had most of the power, not the federal government. • Congress lacked the power to enforce laws. • No executive officer (president) to carry out the laws. • No national courts. Only state courts existed. • Congress has no power to tax. • Congress cannot regulate trade between the states. • Each state coins its own money. No national currency. • All 13 states must agree to an amendment.

8. Shay’s Rebellion: 1786-1787 • An armed uprising in western Massachusetts by farmers. It was named after Daniel Shays, a veteran of the American Revolution. • Farmers faced high taxes and large debts because of an economic depression after the war. They asked the state to stop foreclosures on their property and sending them to prison. • When the state did nothing, Shays and other farmers, led a rebellion and forced county courts to close. They also forced the state supreme court at Springfield to adjourn and led an attack on the federal armory in Springfield. • A state militia was raised and defeated an attack on the armory. Five rebels were killed. Because the national government couldn’t raise any army, the rebellion led to calls to change (amend) the Articles of Confederation which led to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia.

9. Thomas Jefferson once said… • "I hold that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical...it is a medicine necessary for the sound health of government". --Thomas Jefferson

10. Timeline of Events Articles of Confederation  Shay’s Rebellion   Constitutional Convention   U.S. Constitution