Unit 4 Part 1 Articles of Confederation

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Unit 4 Part 1Articles of Confederation

• SSCG1

The student will demonstrate knowledge of the
political philosophies that shaped the
development of United States constitutional
government
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Remember

• Declaration signed in 1776
• Revolutionary War fought (France helped
  Americans)
• British are defeated
• Now we must set up our government

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Articles of Confederation

• In 1777 a committee appointed by congress
  presented a plan called the Articles of
  Confederation.
• Basically continued the structure and operation
  of govt as established under the Second
  Continental Congress
• The Articles of Confederation called for a
  unicameral or single chamber, which they called
  Congress.
• The Articles gave each state one vote in
  congress.

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• The states wanted a confederation, or league of
  friendship among the 13 independent states
  rather than a strong national government.
• By March 1781 all 13 colonies had ratified the
  Articles of Confederation

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Government under the Articles

• Congress had only these powers
• 1)      Make war and peace
• 2)      Send and receive ambassadors
• 3)      Enter into treaties
• 4)      Raise and equip a navy
• 5)      Maintain an army by requesting troops
  from the states

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• 6)      Appoint senior military officers
• 7)      Fix standing of weights and measures
• 8)      Regulate Indian affairs
• 9)      Establish post offices
• 10)      Decided certain disputes among states
• Basically, job of the congress was to make laws
  and settle disputes

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FYI

• 3.1 vocab due tomorrow!

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Unit 4 Part 2

• Strengths and Weaknesses of the Articles of
  Confederation

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What the A of C accomplished

• The greatest achievement was the establishment of
  a fair policy for the development of the lands
  west of the Appalachians.
• The North west ordinance of 1787 established
  the principal that the territories were to be
  developed for statehood on an equal basis with
  the older states.
• The Articles established a peace treaty with
  Great Britain signed in 1783.
• New land was acquired to Miss. River, up to Great
  Lakes, and down to FL border

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Weaknesses of the Articles

• Congress could not levy taxes or regulate trade
• Congress could not compel a state to obey its
  decisions
• Laws needed approval of 9/13 states
• Amending, or changing the Articles, required the
  consent of every state, and unanimous agreement
  on any issue did not exist.
• No executive branch
• No court system

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Need a Stronger Govt

• After the war the states began to quarrel over
  boundary lines and tariffs.
• The new nation had money problems The
  government owed 40 million to foreign
  governments and to American soldiers sill unpaid
  after the Revolutionary War.
• By 1786 America was in an economic depression
• This would lead to Shayss Rebellion

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Shayss Rebellion - 1787

• Massachusetts government tried to foreclose on
  farms and jailed many for debt
• Former solider Daniel Shays led farmers against
  Massachusetts Militia and took over court house
  and freed the prisoners.
• Massachusetts called for national government to
  help.
• Government requested troops from other statesno
  one would help

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Shayss Rebellion

• Massachusetts Militia finally put down rebellion
• Shayss rebellion showed the states the need to
  address the weaknesses of the AoC

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Please turn to pg. 49

• On a vocab card, please write down the 13 states
• On a separate card, please write down the powers
  of the sovereign states (inside the states in
  red) and label the card States powers under the
  Articles of Confederation
• Please make vocab cards for section 2.3 and 2.4

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Origins of American Government
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• Unit 4 Part 3 The Constitutional Convention

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 The Constitutional Convention
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• Delegates from 12 states attended the
  Constitutional Convention.
• Delegates originally wanted to revise the Article
  of confederation.
• All favored limited and representative
  government, separation of powers between
  legislative, executive, and judicial branches,
  and a stronger national government.

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 The Virginia Plan
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• the delegates soon abandoned the revision
  planned to write a new constitution. They first
  considered the Virginia Plan, which had three
  components
• A bicameral congress (legislature) based on
  population - with the power to declare state
  laws unconstitutional
• A strong executive chosen by the legislature
• A national judiciary chosen by the legislature

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The New Jersey Plan
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• The small states fearing domination by the large
  states, introduced the New Jersey Plan.
• The New Jersey Plan
• Has unicameral legislature based on equality One
  vote per state
• Congress has power to tax and regulate trade.
• Created a weak executive and national courts with
  limited powers

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The Convention
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• The Convention deadlocked over representation.
  Small states wanted equal representation
  regardless of population.
• The Connecticut Compromise broke the stalemate on
  representation.
• It called for a Senate based on equality with
  two members from each state and a House of
  Representatives based on the population of the
  state. (higher pop. more reps)
• All revenue laws (those concerning spending and
  taxing) would originate in the House of
  Representatives.

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The Three-Fifths Compromise
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• Debates over slavery and commerce led to more
  compromise.
• Southern states wanted enslaved persons to count
  for representation, but not for taxation.
• Northern states called for representation with
  taxation.
• Under the Three-Fifths Compromise 3/5 of enslaved
  people would be counted for both for taxation and
  representation.

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Now

• Please work on the vocab assigned Friday, and the
  cards with the 13 states and the states powers.
• Also, make cards for all of the plans and
  Three-Fifths Compromise.

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Unit 4 Part 4 notes

• Constitutional Convention

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The Convention
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•   To satisfy the divided interests of the North
  and the South, the delegates agreed that Congress
  would ban the slave trade in 1808.
• They gave Congress the power to regulate foreign
  and interstate commerce (or trade among the
  states.)

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The Convention
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• In September 1787 the delegates sent the
  Constitution to the states for ratification.
• For the new constitution to take effect nine of
  the thirteen states had to approve it. The
  debate divided the public.
• Supporters of the Constitution the Federalists
  argued that only a strong national government
  could protect the nation from enemies and solve
  its internal problems.
• The Opponents of the Constitution Anti
  Federalists feared a strong central government.
  They warned that without the protections of a
  Bill of Rights, the government could take away
  liberties won in the Revolution.

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The Federalist Papers

• The Federalist Papers were written and published
  during the years 1787 and 1788
• To persuade New York voters to ratify the
  proposed constitution.
• 85 essays outlining how this new government would
  operate and why this type of government was the
  best choice for the United States of America

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The Federalist Papers

• Alexander Hamilton wrote 52, James Madison wrote
  28, and John Jay contributed the remaining five.

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The Convention
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• The Federalists promised that the new government
  would immediately add a Bill of Rights to the
  Constitution. This promise turned the tide in
  their favor. On June 21, 1788, New Hampshire
  became the ninth state to ratify, and the
  Constitution went into effect.
• By 1790 the new Constitution had the unanimous
  approval of the thirteen United States of
  America. It would continue to be the law of the
  land as the United States spread across the North
  American continent.

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