Journal Entry

1. Journal Entry Party primaries are held every four years to determine the eventual candidates for president in the general election. The cost of holding these primaries falls mainly on state and local governments. In your journal consider the following questions; • Is the responsibility of the tax payer to fund these primaries or should the parties shoulder the costs? • If the parties are responsible for the cost what effect might it have on the number of candidates who run? • If the parties are responsible for the cost how might it affect campaign contributions and/or how contributions are spent? • Lastly, with turnout for primaries averaging around 30% turnout nation wide, is it money well spent or not?

2. Chapter 2: Section 2 The Critical Period

3. The Articles of Confederation • Approved: Nov. 15, 1777 • Ratified: Mar. 1, 1781 • Formed a “firm league of friendship” among the states. • States remained largely sovereign. • Central government was intentionally weak. • Established a unicameral congress. • Establish no executive or judicial branch.

4. Weaknesses…so many weaknesses • One vote for each state, regardless of size. • Congress powerless to lay and collect taxes or duties. • Congress powerless to regulate foreign or interstate commerce. • No executive to enforce acts of Congress. • No national court system. • Amendments only with 100% state approval. • 9/13 majority needed to pass laws. • No common currency.

5. Quick-Write 1 The Articles of the Confederation were often described as a “rope of sand”. What do you think this means? Was it a fair assessment of the document? Take a moment to think about this and then write you answers down on a sheet of paper (turn in at the end of class).

6. Government in Crisis • States bickered with each other and grew jealous and suspicious of another. • States often refused to support the central government financial and in most other regards. • Some state made agreements with foreign governments without approval of the central government. • Most states organized their own military. • States taxed each others goods and even banned some.

7. Economy in Crisis • States printed their own currency, often without backing. • Prices soared and credit disappeared. • Debts, public and private, went unpaid. • Violence broke out across the United States over the economic situation.

8. Quick-Write 2 As mentioned the different colonies printed their own currency during the time of the Articles of Confederation. How does this practice affect trade between states? How is the value of these currencies measured? Without a common currency what type of trade becomes most common? Take a moment to think about this and then write you answers down on a sheet of paper (turn in at the end of class).

9. Shay’s Rebellion • Fall of 1786, Daniel Shay leads an armed uprising that forces closure of courts in western Massachusetts. • Shay and his followers are angry over losing their land due to unpaid taxes and debt. • In 1787, Shay unsuccessfully leads an assault on a federal arsenal. • State forces force Shay to flee to Vermont and the Massachusetts legislature passed laws to ease the burden of debtors.

10. The Need for Stronger Government • Economic crisis and growing anger forced leaders to push for change in how the United States was governed. • Maryland and Virginia met at Mount Vernon in 1785 to resolve trade disputes. The negotiations were successful that a call was made for all states join a joint meeting on regulating congress. • Sept. 1786 the states met, but turnout was poor with only five states attending. The convention called for yet another meeting of the states. • The Congress called on all states to send delegates to Philadelphia in Feb. 1787. The meeting became the Constitutional Convention.