The Articles of Confederation

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The Articles of Confederation

• A confederation is a group of individuals that
  come together for a common purpose
• The Articles of Confederation established a
  system of cooperation among the 13 independent
  states
• The Articles did not unite the country
• Primary reason for establishing the Articles was
  to organize the newly independent states for a
  war against Great Britain.

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Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation
Weakness Effects No power to levy or collect taxes The government was always short of money Nine states needed to approve new laws Passing new laws was difficult Amendments to the Articles required the It was difficult to change the powers of the consent of all 13 states government No executive branch No effective way to coordinate the government No national court system It was difficult to settle disputes among the states
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Weakness Effects How Weakness Was Addressed in the Constitution
No power to levy or collect taxes Power was denied to the government because of experience with Great Britain The government was always short of money The country fell into debt States began to place heavy taxes on its citizens Citizens grew weary of paying high taxes Shays Rebellion Article 1, Section 8 The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises, to pay the debts and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United States Taxation with Representation
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Weakness Effects How Weakness Was Addressed in the Constitution
Nine states needed to approve new laws Passing new laws was difficult 9 out of the 13 states were needed Could not get anything accomplished Laws that would have improved the country were not passed (the power to tax) Article 1, Section 7 A simple majority needed to approve a new law 218 out of 435 in the House and 51 out of 100 in the Senate Easier to pass a new law when needed
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Weakness Effects How Weakness Was Addressed in the Constitution
Amendments to the Articles required the consent of all 13 states. 100 agreement necessary to make changes Very difficult to get 100 agreement on any issue Difficult to change the powers of the government The Articles were not flexible and could not change with the times If something is not flexible it has a tendency to break Article V Consent of 2/3 of the legislature (House and the Senate) and 3/4 of the states (38) required to amend the Constitution The United States Constitution is a living document because the amendment process makes the government flexible The government can change as the times change and as the American people demand that change
Weakness Effects How Weakness Was Addressed in the Constitution
No power to levy or collect taxes Power was denied to the government because of experience with Great Britain The government was always short of money The country fell into debt States began to place heavy taxes on its citizens Citizens grew weary of paying high taxes Shays Rebellion Article 1, Section 8 The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises, to pay the debts and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United States Taxation with Representation
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A Living Constitution

• 13th Amendment (1865)
• Abolished Slavery
• 15th Amendment (1870)
• The right of African Americans to vote
• 18th Amendment (1919)
• Prohibition of Alcoholic Beverages
• 19th Amendment (1920)
• Woman suffrage
• 21st Amendment (1933)
• Repeal of Prohibition
• 26th Amendment (1971)
• Eighteen year-old vote

• American attitudes toward slavery changed
• American attitudes toward black suffrage change
  and pressure from civil rights groups
• Nationwide crusade to stop the production of
  alcohol by womens groups
• American attitudes toward women suffrage changed
  and pressure from womens rights groups
• American attitudes toward the sale and production
  of alcohol changes
• Old enough to die, old enough to vote

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Weakness Effects How Weakness Was Addressed in the Constitution
No executive branch Did not want another King Fear of a strong central government Left all of the power in the hands of the states No effective way to coordinate the government 13 separate states With no clear leader, there is no one person with the final say There is no branch to enforce the laws of the country The laws, then, are meaningless Article II The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America. One clear leader of the country Head of the executive branch responsible for enforcing the laws of the country
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Weakness Effects How Weakness Was Addressed in the Constitution
No national court system Each state had its own courts to interpret the laws or to decide what they meant It was difficult to settle disputes among the states No sense of national unity in terms of the legal system Conflicts between states could not be resolved No authority with final say in a matter Article III The Judicial Power of the United States, shall be vested in one supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts Judicial branch is given the authority to settle disputes between two or more states Supreme Court has final say in all legal matters in the United States
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Now What?
The Constitutional Convention of 1787
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2 Plans of Government

• Virginia Plan
• a federal government similar to the one we have
  today, with a president, courts, and a congress
  with two houses. Representation would be based
  on each states population giving more voting
  power to the large states
• New Jersey Plan
• A federal government similar to the one under the
  Articles of Confederation, included a one-house
  congress in which states would have equal
  representation states would have equal voting
  power regardless of size

VA
NJ
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Constitutional Compromises

• The Great Compromise
• Proposed 2 houses of Congress
• One house would have equal representation

NJ
VA
Representation based on population of state
Equal representation regardless of population of
state
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Constitutional Compromises

• Three-Fifths Compromise
• Southern states wanted to count slaves as part of
  their population
• Northern states were opposed to the idea
• Delegates compromised and agreed that slaves
  would count as three-fifths of a person. This
  number would be used to determine representation
  in Congress

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Ratification? Wait Just a Minute!

• Federalists Anti-Federalists (Nations First
  Political Parties)
• Federalists supported the new Constitution
• Strong central/federal government (Articles of
  Confederation)
• Wrote a series of essays/newspaper articles to
  gather support for their views called the
  Federalist Papers. (similar to modern-day
  campaign commercials)
• Anti-Federalists openly opposed the new
  Constitution
• Too much power given to federal government
• Not enough power given to the states
• Constitution did not have a bill of rights (no
  guarantee of basic individual rights)
• Compromise reached and Constitution ratified on
  June 21, 1788