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The Confederation Era

Discover how American settlement expanded in late 1700s, conflicts over moving West, state governments post-revolution, importance of Bills of Rights, the Articles of Confederation, western land claims, the Northwest Territory, Land Ordinance of 1785, Northwest Ordinance of 1787, and the Division of Northwest Territory lands.

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The Confederation Era

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  1. The Confederation Era Chapter 8, Section 1

  2. Moving West • Wilderness Road • In which areas did American settlement expand in the late 1700s? • Were there conflicts over settlers moving West?

  3. New State Governments • What kind of governments did the new states create for themselves? • Why do you think some states included a Bill of Rights (especially one modeled after the English Bill of Rights, 1689)? • What is a republic? • Why is the United States a republic?

  4. The Articles of Confederation • “United we stand, divided we fall.” – Silas Deane • What issues divided the Continental Congress as it developed a plan for a national government? • What were the structure and powers of the national government under the Articles?

  5. The Articles of Confederation • How did state claims to western lands affect the acceptance of the Articles? • When were the Articles finally ratified by all 13 states?

  6. U.S. After Treaty of Paris (1783) • The American Revolution is over! Great Britain has ceded (or given up) all lands extending to the Mississippi River. • The million dollar question in Congress is: WHAT TO DO WITH ALL OF THE LAND??? • Many of the original thirteen states began making claims in the newly won territory extending to the Mississippi River. • Which states made western land claims? • What problem does this pose for the future of the United States government under the Articles of Confederation?

  7. The Opening of the Northwest Territory

  8. What is the Northwest Territory? • Northwest Territory- a designated area of land that includes the states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, and parts of Minnesota.

  9. A Solution For The Time • Thomas Jefferson wants to see the land become new, separate states (where slavery will not exist after 1800). • Congress meets and passes… • Land Ordinance of 1785- a law that established the Northwest Territory and formed a political system for the region; land would be sold at public auction. • How did the Land Ordinance of 1785 state that western lands should be divided?

  10. What Was Solved? • Since Congress could NOT tax the citizens, selling land at a public auction would help to benefit the new U.S. government and solve the greatest problem… • Debt

  11. “Not Worth a Continental” • The United States government was unable to pay most veterans of the American Revolution. • The value of Continental bank notes had dropped substantially. • To repay the veterans, Congress offered them land in the Northwest Territory.

  12. The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 • Northwest Ordinance of 1787- a law that established the Northwest Territory and formed a political system for the region. • How were the western territories governed under the Northwest Ordinance? • When the territory reaches 5,000 free, adult males they can elect a state legislature. • When the territory reaches 60,000 they can draft a state constitution and apply to Congress to become a state. 1858 1848 1837 1816 1803 1818

  13. Northwest Ordinance • Also outlined rights of settlers • Slavery was outlawed • Rivers open to all • Freedom of religion guaranteed • Trial by jury guaranteed • Why was the Northwest Ordinance important to the growth of the United States?

  14. How it was Divided • The Northwest Territory lands were to be surveyed and divided up into • Townships- the largest division of land that was typically 36 square miles and divided into 36 one-square mile sections. • Each 1-mile section was 640 acres. To put it in perspective… 1 ACRE

  15. I Want It! • Because of the vast amount of land available, the Confederation Congress prepared the surveyed townships for public auctions. • 31 of the 36 sections in each township would be made available to the general public in a land auction. • Land was available for $1 per acre! Talk about cheap land! • How many acres are there in each section again? • All money raised from the initial auctions to the public would be given to Congress to help the new U.S. government get its footing.

  16. The Catch… • There is always a catch it seems. In this situation, the public auctions were ONLY available to citizens who could purchase an entire section of 640 acres initially. • Therefore, all bidding BEGAN at $640 ($1 per acre). • Land speculators who made a bid and won a section could sell individual, smaller portions of it AFTER the initial auction and make a profit. 40 160 Acres

  17. Off Limits Land • It was mentioned earlier that veterans of the American Revolution were often unpaid due to the government’s debt. • Because congress was unable to pay them, they reserved four sections in each township for veterans as payment. (Sections 8, 11, 26, and 29) • Section 16 was reserved for something special… • A SCHOOL!!!

  18. Weaknesses of the Articles • Why was debt a critical problem for the national government under the Articles of Confederation? • Why did the national government get little financial support from the states?

  19. Shays’s Rebellion “I hold it that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing..” – Thomas Jefferson • Explain the situation in Massachusetts that led to Shays’s Rebellion. • How did Shays’s Rebellion point out the weaknesses of government under the Articles of Confederation?

  20. Key Terms • Wilderness Road – the trail into Kentucky that woodsman Daniel Boone helped to build • Republic – a government in which people elect representatives to govern for them • Articles of Confederation – a document, adopted by the Continental Congress in 1777 and finally approved by the states in 1781, that outlined the form of government of the new United States • Land Ordinance of 1785 – a law that established a plan for surveying and selling the federally owned lands west of the Appalachian Mountains • Northwest Territory – territory covered by the Land Ordinance of 1785, which included land that formed the states of Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, and part of Minnesota • Northwest Ordinance – it described how the Northwest Territory was to be governed and set conditions for settlement and settlers’ rights • Shays’s Rebellion – an uprising of debt-ridden Massachusetts farmers in 1787

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