The Articles of Confederation

1. The Articles of Confederation Chapter 2 Section 3

2. 1777 – committee appointed by Congress presented a plan • Continued the structure and operation of government • March 1781 – all 13 states had ratified

3. Government Under the Articles • Unicameral – single-chamber Congress • Committee of the States – one delegate from each state managed the government when Congress was not assembled • No federal court system

4. Congress settled disputes among states • Each state had one vote in Congress • State legislatures selected its own representatives

5. Congress Powers • Make war and peace • Send and receive ambassadors • Enter into treaties • Raise and equip a navy

6. Maintain an army by requesting troops from the states • Appoint senior military officers • Fix standards of weights and measures • Regulate Indian affairs

7. Establish post offices • Decide certain disputes among the states

8. Weaknesses of the Articles • Created a weak national government • Congress did not have the power to levy or collect taxes • Congress did not have the power to regulate trade

9. Congress could not force anyone to obey the laws it passed or to abide the by the Articles • Laws needed the approval of 9 of the 13 states • Each state had only one vote

10. Amending or changing the Articles required the consent of all states • The central government did not have an executive branch • No unity in policy making • No national court system

11. Achievements • Establishment of a fair policy for the development of the lands west of the Appalachians • Individual states could ceded, or yield land claims

12. Land Ordinances • The Ordinance of 1785 • Allowed for survey and division • Northwest Ordinance of 1787 • Territories were to be developed for statehood

13. Peace treaty with Great Britain – 1783 • Britain recognized American independence • Congress set up departments of • Affairs • War • Marine • Treasury

14. Need for Stronger Government • The structure of the central government could not coordinate the actions of the states effectively

15. Growing Problems • States began to quarrel over boundary lines and disputes • Some states began to deal directly with foreign nations • Congress could do little about these matters

16. 1787 – the government owed $40 million to foreign governments • American soldiers still unpaid • 1786 – economic depression left farmers and merchants in debt

17. Shays’s Rebellion • Economic troubles led to rebellion • Armed groups of farmers forced several courts to close in order to prevent farm foreclosures and the loss of their farms

18. Daniel Shays led a band that closed the MA state supreme court • Gathered a force of 1200 Men and advanced on the federal arsenal in Springfield • MA militia put down the rebellion

20. Amend the Articles!! • 1. Identify human needs in the context of the larger society • 2. Analyze how the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation affected colonial society • 3. Write 3 amendments • 4. Bring before the class and vote