Creating the Constitution

1
Creating the Constitution
2
The Articles of Confederation

• The Articles were created because during the
  Revolution, the new United States needed a
  functioning government
• Modeled after colonial governments
• States would retain sovereignty
• Founders were fearful of concentrated power due
  to past experience with the British

3
A Limited Government

• Articles established a firm league of
  friendship among the states where most of the
  power was held by the states and only a few were
  delegated to the national government.
• Bills were passed by nine of thirteen states (a
  super majority.
• Amending the Articles took unanimous consent of
  the states

4
Organization of Government

• Unicameral (single house) legislative body
• Each state had one vote regardless of population
  size
• Congress given sole authority to govern the
  country
• An executive committee oversaw government when
  Congress was not in session
• Congress would establish temporary courts to hear
  disputes among the states

5
Powers Granted to Government under the Articles
of Confederation

• Declare war and make peace
• Make treaties with foreign countries
• Establish an army and navy
• Appoint high-ranking military officials
• Requisition, print, and borrow money
• Establish weights and measures
• Hear disputes among the states related to trade
  or boundaries

6
Powers Denied to Government

• No power to raise funds for an army or navy
• No power to tax, impose tariffs, or collect
  duties
• No executive branch to enforce laws
• No power to control trade among the states
• No power to force states to honor obligations
• No power to regulate the value of currency

7
Accomplishments of the Articles of Confederation

• Administered the seven-year Revolutionary War
  effort
• Negotiated the Treaty of Paris with Britain in
  1783
• Established the Northwest Ordinance of 1787

Map of the land settled in the Northwest
Ordinance of 1787
8
Problems Facing the New Nation

• Problems with Britain over fur trade and not
  evacuating forts, plus blocking trade in
  Caribbean
• Problems with Spain over Caribbean trade,
  Mississippi River, Florida boundary
• Financing the nation
• Interstate relations (between states)

A 1783 cartoon satirizing relations between
Britain and America
9
Shays Rebellion

• Confederation owed debt to soldiers of
  Revolutionary War
• Confederation Congress could not levy (collect)
  taxes - had to ask states for money
• Massachusetts very high taxes
• Daniel Shays Mass. Farmer and former soldier
  led rebellion in Feb. 1787 on federal arsenal
  where weapons stored
• Mass. Militia stopped rebellion national
  government had no army
• American leaders realized Articles had no power
  to stop rebellion something needed to be done to
  give national government more power.

10
Articles of Confederation

• Strengths

• Weaknesses

• To declare war and make peace.
• To coin and borrow money
• To detail with foreign countries and sign
  treaties
• To operate post offices

• The national government could not force the
  states to obey its laws.
• It did not have the power to tax
• It did not have the power to enforce laws
• Congress lacked strong and steady leadership
• There was no national army or navy
• There was no system of national courts
• Each state could issue its own paper money
• Each state could put tariffs on trade between
  states. (A tariff is a tax on goods coming in
  from another state or country.)