The First U.S. Government

Key Terms: • Declaration of

Independence• Human Rights• Confederation• Sovereignty

The Declaration of Independence In 1775 the American colonist were angry about

new taxes and actions of the British Parliament.

The colonist went to war with Great Britain. (The Revolutionary War)

After the war 13 representatives from the 13 colonies met in Philadelphia to draw up a Declaration of Independence.

Purpose of the Declaration

• Approved July 4, 1776

• Listed reasons for creating their own new government

• Was not a blueprint to provide a new government, but was the colonist statement of grievances against the king.

• The colonist believed that the power of government comes from the consent of that governed (the people of the country)

• Explained to the world in clear language that the purpose of government is to protect human rights.

Why is the Declaration of Independence so important?

The Declaration of Independence is considered one of the greatest documents in our country’s history.

Even though it was written 225 yrs. Ago it is a symbol of American Freedom.

Human Rights Human Rights -- the basic rights to which all people

are entitled

The Declaration clearly states these rights.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all man are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty , and the pursuit of happiness.”

Which means, all Americans are equal under the law, and every person’s rights are equal to every other person.

The next step… In 1777 Continental Congress adopted a

plan of government called – The Articles of Confederation

The Articles were approved in 1781 by the 13 states, and went into effect in 1783 when the revolutionary war ended.

The 13 states were now a confederation called the United States of America.

What is a Confederation? Confederation – a loose association, rather than a

firm union, of states.

The Articles of Confederation set up a “firm league of friendship” among the 13 states. Each state was to have equal powers and in most ways was to be independent of the other states.

The Central or national governments had very limited powers.

The writers of the Articles wanted to preserve the states Sovereignty.

What kinds of problems could result from giving states the power to enforce national laws?

The laws might not be enforced equally in every state, or they might not be enforced at all.

More about the new U.S. Government

• The National government consisted of a lawmaking body called Congress.

• Each State had one vote in Congress, regardless of the population.

• The Articles gave the power to enforce national laws to the states, rather than to the national government.

• Many residents of each state thought of themselves as citizens of their particular state rather than as Americans.

Problems with The Articles of Confederation.

Weakness of Articles

Congress had trouble passing laws. (required 9 of 13 states to pass a law)

Without a president or executive branch, there were no officials to ensure that the laws passed by congress were carried out.

Without national courts, there were no means of interpreting laws or judging those who broke laws.

State conflicts States would quarrel over

state boundary lines

States were involved in disputes over trade.

The National Government was powerless against these disagreements.

The country looked weak to other counties.