America’s Training Wheels: The Articles of Confederation

1. America’s Training Wheels:The Articles of Confederation

2. What are We Learning Today: • Describe the government of the Articles of Confederation, its successes and failures.

3. The Times They Are a Changin’ • Social Changes • Most states ________________________ • Ordinary people demand to be addressed as Mr. and Mrs. • Bosses instead of Masters • Primogeniture was weakening • Slowly _____________ and _______________ separate • Anglican church becomes Episcopal

4. Are Women Created Equal? • Women’s rights • Remained doing traditional work • Some women disguised themselves as men to fight in the war • Abigail Adams wrote John to include women’s rights in the DOI • Citizen Virtue • What is it? • Republican motherhood

5. What About That All Men Are Created Equal Part? • Slavery • 1st Continental Congress called for abolition • Many responded positively • Some Northern states abolished it • Law discriminatory against black citizens • Purchasing property • Holding certain jobs • Educating their children • Interracial marriage • Why Not Abolition?

6. Don’t Overstate It (Zinn)

7. Askin’ All Them Questions • What is republican motherhood? • Why didn’t abolition happen? • What is an example of a social change?

8. What Do We Do Now? • 2nd Continental Congress asks colonies to draft constitutions and become states • Sovereignty of states would rest with the______________ • Massachusetts process • Call a special convention • Submitted final draft to people

9. What Would the Government Look Like? • Many common features of state governments • Makes it easier to draft a federal constitution • Defined powers of government • Drew their authority from the people • Bill of Rights • Annual election of legislatures • Weak executive and judicial branches

10. What Would the Government Look Like? • Most democratic branch • Given the most power • Shown in their inclusion of many poorer western districts • Many move their state capitals west

11. Assuming • Why would the legislature be the branch that was given the most power in most state governments?

12. Askin’ All Them Questions • What were some common features of the state constitutions? • Which branch was given the most power? Why? • Where does sovereignty rest? • What was Massachusetts system? • What is republican motherhood? • Why did abolition not happen?

13. It Is About the Money Money Money… • Land • Seized control of former British lands • Large loyalist lands are cut up into smaller farms • Manufacturing and Trade • Nonimportation helped develop economy • American ships now barred from British ports • Trading with other foreign nations somewhat helps • Debt & Inflation • States borrowed more than they could hope to repay • Inflation is ruinous to many citizens • Government has trouble controlling economic laws • Average citizen was worse off after the war than before

14. It Is About the Money Money Money… • Debt & Inflation • States borrowed more than they could hope to repay • ______________ is ruinous to many citizens • Government has trouble controlling economic laws • Why? • Average citizen was ___________ after the war than before

15. Red Light/Green Light? • Bad Starts • Common cause of ________________________ • British manufacturers have a surplus of goods and flood American market • Good Signs • The states were alike in structure • _______________________ • British • Colonial self-government • Great leaders • Washington, Adams, Jefferson

16. Quote on Economic Situation

17. Why Did We Almost Not Have a Government • 6 states didn’t have much western land • MD & PA • Nobody would have land if all states hadn’t fought • Land rich states could sell off land and pay off their debt • Afraid of • Wanted the whole western area turned over to the government

18. Why Did We Almost Not Have a Government? • States wouldn’t sign AOC until the western lands were settled • Congress agreed to carve states from new lands • Would have equal footing • People purchased land from federal government • Lessens power of state

19. Democratic Training Wheels:The Articles of Confederation • Each state was _______________ • Coined money • Had their own military • Controlled tariffs • 1st written Constitution • Adopted by Congress in 1777 • Not by all states until 1781

20. A League of Friendship? Like the Justice League? • Structure • “Firm league of friendship” • ___________________ was the only branch • Unicameral • Each state = 1 vote • Delegates chosen by state • Each year they would choose presiding officer

21. What Could This Government Do? • Powers • Could make war or peace • Send/receive ambassadors • Make treaties • Borrow money • Post office • Navy • Ask for troops for army • Settle disputes among the states • Fix weights and measures

22. Assuming • List 2 powers that you think a government should have that are not on that list

23. Making Statements • @Virginia That’s bull butter. We ain’tjoinin you til you give up land • @BenFranklin Guess you’re going to get a new job with a lot of stamps • @States We are the most important branch! • @Abigail It’s your duty to stay at home #truth

24. What Were the States’ Responsible For? • State obligations • Open trade between states • Treat citizens of other states equally • Provide funds/troops asked for by Congress • Extradition • Full faith and credit to laws of other states • Submit disputes to Congress

25. Why Did It Fail? • No power to tax • Powerless to regulate commerce • No courts • 9/13 majority to pass laws • Amendments have to be unanimous • No enforcement agency • Each state has one vote

26. Asking All Them Questions • What type of government did Articles set up? • What were some weaknesses? • What were some powers? • This was a big hold up for smaller states • What was the big economic problem after the war? • What is republican motherhood? • Why didn’t abolition happen? • Where did power in state constitutions come from? • An example of social change after the war • What was Massachusetts process?

27. Articles of Confederation (video)

28. The Shays Hits the Fan:The Death of the AOC

29. Asking All Them Questions • What type of government did Articles set up? • What were some weaknesses? • What were some powers? • This was a big hold up for smaller states • What was the big economic problem after the war? • What is republican motherhood? • Why didn’t abolition happen? • Where did power in state constitutions come from? • An example of social change after the war • What was Massachusetts process?

30. What Are We Talking About Today? • Describe the government of the Articles of Confederation, its successes and failures. • Explain the role of Shay’s Rebellion in sparking the movement for a new Constitution.

31. Why were the Articles Good? • Springboard to a strong federal government • Clearly outlined powers of federal government • Kept alive ideal of union from individual states until the time was ripe for action

32. LANDmark Accomplishment • Land Ordinance of 1785 • Sold acreage of old land to pay off debt • 6 square mile townships • Divided into 36 individual square miles • 16th section for

33. LANDmark Accomplishment #2 • Northwest Ordinance, 1887 • Colonies? • Plan • Tutelage • Full equality • Created 5 states • Outlawed slavery

34. Assuming • Why would this be such an important accomplishment for the future?

35. They’re All Gonna Laugh @ You • Britain • Didn’t send a minister to America for 8 years • Kept trade posts along northern border • Bitter that Americans weren’t protecting Loyalists/paying debt • Keep alliance with Indians in case America attacks Canada • American Response • Wanted to restrict imports

36. They’re All Gonna Laugh @ You • Spain • Openly unfriendly • Closed _____________________ • Hurt farmers in KY and TN • Became friendly with Natives to use against US

37. They’re All Gonna Laugh @ You • France • Demanded money be repaid that was loaned during the war • North African pirates • Taking over ships trading in Mediterranean • Imprisoning Yankees • America is too weak to fight…too poor to bribe

38. Making Statements • @Take your goods somewhere else silly Americas #nobueno • Stay in the kitchen #citizenvirtue • Look at our 2 great accomplishments

39. Anarchy Spreads • Some hope conflict will make Americans want a stronger central government • Anarchy • States refused • States were • States were printing their own money • Who is going to enforce the laws?

40. The Shays Hits the Fan • Shay’s Rebellion, 1786 • Poor farmers were losing their farms because of foreclosures and unpaid taxes • Many were war veterans • Led by Daniel Shays • Demanded • Print more paper money • Lighten taxes • Suspend foreclosures

41. The Shays Hits the Fan • Shut down the MA Supreme Court • Wealthy had to raise an army to suppress • Assuming • Why would this lead to George Washington wanting to throw out the Articles?

42. The Shays Hits the Fan • Effects • Massachusetts doesn’t do anything about the debtors • Leads to panic about: • Civic virtue wasn’t sufficient to stop personal greed • Revolution made people want too much liberty

43. Daniel Shays via Empire of Reason

44. Zinn Quote

45. A League of Extraordinary Gentlemen & Large Bottleneck Flies

46. List and explain the principles of the Constitution. • Identify the concerns that motivated the anti-federalist opposition to the Constitution. • Describe the process of ratification and the role played by the Federalist papers.

47. Quiz • What was our source of conflict with Spain in the post-Revolutionary era? • What branch was given the most power by state governments? Why? • Where does power reside in a republic? • What was the idea of Republican motherhood? What effects did it have for women? • What was Shay’s Rebellion? What does it lead to? • What did the Northwest Ordinance do? • What was process did Massachusetts use to draft its state constitution? Why is it important? • Describe the relationship between states and the national government in a confederation • List 3 powers that the Articles of Confederation government had? • Most weaknesses/problems with the Articles had to deal with what?

48. The Delegates • Every state except Rhode Island sends delegates • Why? • Delegates were chosen by state legislatures • Members elected by property holding white males • A select group

49. The Convention • 55 delegates from 12 states • _____________ • Common features

50. Some Important Delegates • Ben Franklin • 81, the oldest • ____________________ • Unanimous chairman • Alexander Hamilton • Was present • Advocate of __________________ • James Madison • Student of government • _______________________