Essential Question

What powers were granted & denied to the national govt under the Articles of Confederation? Essential Question

Chapter 8 Section 1 Pt I The Articles of Confederation

When the Continental Congress met in 1776, they began to plan the new national govt. • The delegates agreed that the govt. should be a republic • However, disagreements btwn large & small states were common • Small states claimed each state should have one vote • Large states argued that voting should be based on population Early Disagreements

Delegates also argued over claims in the lands west of the Appalachians • This largely unsettled land was known, at the time, as the “Northwest Territory” • Several states that bordered this unsettled land claimed it as their own including: • VA, NC, SC, GA • Even states that DID NOT share a border also claimed western lands including: • NY, CT, MA • These claims caused major controversy amongst the states The Northwest Territory

The Cont. Congress, after much debate, finally approved the first plan for the new govt. in 1781 • The Articles of Confederation would be run by a “Confederation Congress” • The Congress would be made up of freely elected representatives from each of the 13 states • Each state received one vote Approval

The states left the following powers to the Congress: • Conduct foreign affairs • Declare war & make peace • Issue or borrow money • Control Western territories • Manage Native American affairs • Run the postal service Powers Granted

The Confed. Congress, however, was severely limited b/c it lacked the power to: • Establish an Executive Branch (No President) • Enforce national laws • Enact and collect taxes • Regulate trade • Establish federal courts • Amend the Articles of Confed. • All these powers were reserved for the states & their govts • This left the CC w/o sufficient power to govern effectively • In essence, the states mirrored Europe (small nation-states that all competed with one another) Powers Denied

The Confederation Congress adeptly wrote laws on the division & governing of the newly acquired territories known as the Land Ordinance of 1785 • This law stipulated that surveyors would stake out six square-mile plots, called townships, in these lands • Each township would be split into 36 square-mile plots, which could be purchased for $640/ plot Land Ordinance of 1785

The law passed by the Confed. Congress that set up the governing of the NW Territory became known as the NW Ordinance • The law possessed many democratic features: • When each territory had 5,000 adult males, men who owned 50 acres of land could elect an assembly • When the pop. reached 60,000 people, the territory could apply to become a state • Slavery was outlawed • River travel was open to all • Freedom of religion & trial by jury were guaranteed Northwest Ordinance

One major issue the Confed. Congress had was an inability to levy taxes • The national govt. relied on the states for $, often which the states were not willing to send • This issue came to a head in a major way in Jan 1787 in MA • MA’s refusal to grant debt relief to its citizens led to an uprising known as Shays’ Rebellion • Led by former CA soldier, Daniel Shays, his followers marched on a federal arsenal, or weapons warehouse • Shays & his men were quickly met and dispersed by 1000 state militia Shays' Rebellion

Which of the following had the most power under the Articles of Confederation? • National Govt • State Govts • Federalists • Anti-Federalists Summary/Test Question

Under the A of C, Congress could not tax. How did this weaken the national govt? • Congress could not borrow $ • Congress could not settle disputes btwn the states • Congress could not issue $ • It made Congress dependent on the states for $ Summary/Test Question

Essential Question