Creating a Virtuous Republic: 1781 - 1789

1. Creating a Virtuous Republic:1781 - 1789 Unit 3 - Foundations of American Government & the Federal Constitution Mrs. Baker APUSH

2. States Constitutions • Republicanism. • Most had strong governors with veto power. • Most had bicameral legislatures. • Property required for voting. • Some had universal white male suffrage. • Most had bills of rights. • Many had a continuation of state-established religions while others disestablished religion.

3. Articles of Confederation

4. The Articles of Confederation • Background • 1st Constitution of the United States • Proposed by the Second Continental Congress in 1777. • Ratified by all 13 states in 1781 • Structure of Government • Central government with unicameral house. • No Executive or Judicial branches • Reflected colonists fear of a strong central government • Combined with the desire of the individual states to protect their powers

5. An Alliance of Independent States • Articles = Confederation of 13 states • Confederation: an alliance of independent states in which the states give as much power as they choose to the central government…While states keep the greater part of the power and remaining sovereign.

6. Accomplishments of Articles • Congress had power to: • Make treaties • Declare war • Send diplomatic representatives • Borrow money • Successfully concluded the American Revolution • Negotiated the Treaty of Paris, 1783 • Constructed plans to handle land issues • Land Ordinance of 1785 • Northwest Ordinance of 1787

7. Claiming Western Land

8. Land Ordinance of 1785 • Congress established a policy for surveying and selling of western land • Policy provided for setting aside one section of land in each township for public education.

9. The United States in 1787

10. Northwest Ordinance of 1787 • Policy which created a set of rules used for the creation of states in territory lying between the Great Lakes and the Ohio River. • Granted limited self-government to the developing territory • Prohibited slavery in the region.

11. Northwest Ordinance of 1787 • One of the major accomplishments of the Confederation Congress! • Statehood achieved in three stages: • Congress appointed 3 judges & a governor to govern the territory. • When population reached 5,000 adult male landowners • Elect territorial legislature. • When population reached 60,000 • Elect delegates to a state constitutional convention.

12. Weaknesses of Articles • States had most power • The national government had little • No executive officer to carry out the laws of Congress • Unicameral legislature • Representatives frequently absent • No national courts • Only state courts exist • Congress is responsible to the states • Congress could not raise army • 9 out of 13 states had to approve a law • Unanimous vote (13 out of 13) required to amend Articles • Congress had no power to tax • Congress could not regulate trade among the states • Each state coined its own money. • No national currency

13. Annapolis Convention • 12 representatives from 5 states[NY, NJ, PA, DE, VA] • GOAL • Address barriers that limited trade and commerce between the states. • Not enough states were represented to make any real progress. • Sent a report to the Congress to call a meeting of all the states to meet in Philadelphia to examine areas broader than just trade and commerce.

14. Shay’s Rebellion:1786-1787 • Post-Revolutionary clash between New England farmers and merchants that tested the new republic. • Threatened to plunge the "disunited states" into a civil war. • The rebellion arose in Massachusetts in 1786, spread to other states • Led by Daniel Shays • High state taxes • Imprisonment for debt • Lack of paper money • Stopped collection of taxes and forced closing of debtors court • State militia finally called in after over 6 months of rebellion.