Upload
iorwen
View
53
Download
0
Tags:
Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
The Articles of Confederation. The nation’s first Constitution A Confederation is a political organization in which the sovereign states combine for certain specified purposes. US: a Confederation from 1776 - 1788. 1776 We’ve Declared our Independence, so now what?. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Citation preview
The Articles of Confederation The nation’s first
Constitution A Confederation is a
political organization in which the sovereign states combine for certain specified purposes.
US: a Confederation from 1776 - 1788
1776We’ve Declared our Independence, so now
what? Although Independence
from British Sovereignty had been declared, the former 13 colonies needed some form of government to wage war
Each new state (13) created its own individual government
States’ sovereignty was considered most important
The Business of Rebellion June 7, 1776 Richard Henry Lee
introduced resolutions to the Second Continental Congress
1 was for a declaration of independence; 2nd was the blueprint of a national government
…..and this led to…
Declaration of Independence Articles of Confederation
Was this easy to create? NO!! Fear of creating an all-powerful national
government that would trod on the states’ powers
Fear that some states would be more powerful within this national government
Problem #1- Fear of strong national government
Once the Rev. War began, each state was like a separate nation Each with own
constitution Each with unique
government To the people, each
state was their “country”
Founders’ Concerns Agreed that a national government was
needed Felt that the British government had
deprived citizens of their right to be represented in government. Concerned that if a strong central government
were formed, it would be too powerful and far away from the concerns of the people
Control of government by the people
Classical view of government Enlightenment Philosophy: belief that
government is inherently evil and that people should be immediately involved in their own governance
Republican government Could only succeed in small communities Successful only at local level between people of
shared geographic interests
Founders’ Solution to Problem #1 Create a weak national government The national government would be
composed of the Confederation Congress (CC) No executive branch (today, the President) No judicial branch (court system, today, the
Supreme Court)
So who had the power to run the country?
The STATES!! The State governments had
absolute authority over their citizens
Congress had no authority to collect taxes. It could request money from the states, but the states could refuse.
Each state issued its own unique currency
The states regulated all trade between themselves
New York Colonial Currency
Problem #2 – Fear that some states would dominate in the national government
Each state was concerned with its interests Most concerned with each state’s vote in
Congress Each state = 1 vote, or each state’s vote
based on population or wealth Concern that if majority vote rules, that
majority would act at the expense of the minority
Founders’ Solution to Problem #2 Each state received 1 vote in Congress Congress could create laws, but 9 of the 13
states had to approve before going into effect
Critical Thinking Group Question During the years of the Revolutionary War,
the Articles of Confederation were more successful than after the war. What factors may have allowed for this?