Creating the Constitution

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The Articles of Confederation

• The Articles were created because during the Revolution, the new United States needed a functioning government – Modeled after colonial

governments

– States would retain sovereignty

– Founders were fearful of concentrated power due to past experience with the British

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A Limited Government

• Articles established a “firm league of friendship” among the states where most of the power was held by the states and only a few were delegated to the national government. – Bills were passed by nine of

thirteen states (a super majority.

– Amending the Articles took unanimous consent of the states

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Organization of Government• Unicameral (single house)

legislative body

• Each state had one vote regardless of population size

• Congress given sole authority to govern the country

• An executive committee oversaw government when Congress was not in session

• Congress would establish temporary courts to hear disputes among the states

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Powers Granted to Government under the Articles of

Confederation• Declare war and make peace

• Make treaties with foreign countries

• Establish an army and navy

• Appoint high-ranking military officials

• Requisition, print, and borrow money

• Establish weights and measures

• Hear disputes among the states related to trade or boundaries

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Powers Denied to Government

• No power to raise funds for an army or navy

• No power to tax, impose tariffs, or collect duties

• No executive branch to enforce laws

• No power to control trade among the states

• No power to force states to honor obligations

• No power to regulate the value of currency

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Accomplishments of the Articles of Confederation

• Administered the seven-year Revolutionary War effort

• Negotiated the Treaty of Paris with Britain in 1783

• Established the Northwest Ordinance of 1787

Map of the land settled in the Northwest Ordinance of 1787

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Problems Facing the New Nation• Problems with

Britain over fur trade and not evacuating forts, plus blocking trade in Caribbean

• Problems with Spain over Caribbean trade, Mississippi River, Florida boundary

• Financing the nation• Interstate relations

(between states)

A 1783 cartoon satirizing relations between Britain and America

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Shays’ Rebellion• Confederation owed debt to soldiers of

Revolutionary War

• Confederation Congress could not levy (collect) taxes - had to ask states for money

• Massachusetts very high taxes

• Daniel Shays – Mass. Farmer and former soldier led rebellion in Feb. 1787 on federal arsenal where weapons stored

• Mass. Militia stopped rebellion – national government had no army

• American leaders realized Articles had no power to stop rebellion; something needed to be done to give national government more power.

Articles of Confederation

Strengths• To declare war and make

peace.

• To coin and borrow money

• To detail with foreign countries and sign treaties

• To operate post offices

Weaknesses• The national government could not

force the states to obey its laws.

• It did not have the power to tax

• It did not have the power to enforce laws

• Congress lacked strong and steady leadership

• There was no national army or navy

• There was no system of national courts

• Each state could issue its own paper money

• Each state could put tariffs on trade between states. (A tariff is a tax on goods coming in from another state or country.)

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