Download Constitutional Government - Icef Vista Elementary Academy

The Wrong Plan
How the Articles of Confederation
Failed the U.S.A
Main Points and Vocabulary
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Articles of Confederation
Shay’s Rebellion
Constitutional Convention
Separation of Powers
The United States?
• Each state had its own
money and army
• States could even stop
people from other
states entering their
land or trading there
• Even though each
state was very strong,
the United States was
very weak
Money Problems
• The national
government could not
make people pay taxes
• They had to rely on
donations from states
that often never
actually happened
Crisis in Massachusetts!
• In 1786, a group of
Revolutionary War
veterans and farmers in
debt and trying to save
their farms rebel
• They closed down
government buildings
and tried to steal
weapons for a rebellion
• Led by Daniel Shay, this
uprising was called
Shays’ Rebellion
Shays’ Rebellion
• The national
government
was unable to
stop the
rebellion
• They had too
little money or
power to do
anything
• A private army
paid for by
wealthy
businessmen
barely stopped
the rebellion
Redo the Agreement
• States decided the
Articles of
Confederation had
to go
• States meet
together in 1787
to make a new
agreement
between the
states called the
Constitution
Separation of Power
• Meeting in 1787 to design a new government called
Constitutional Convention
• States wanted a stronger national government agreement
called the Constitution
• States wanted the power of the government split between
groups so no one person had too much power
Review Questions
1. What was the first rough draft of the
government called? Did this first government
work well?
2. Was the United States strong under this
rough draft? What problems did it face?
3. What event showed that the United States
government was too weak?
4. What solution did state leaders come up
with?