Download Articles of Confederation ReviewAnswers Lipps 2012

Name___________________________ The Articles of Confederation: Why Did It FAIL? Introduction Continental Congress independence KGIII government monarch weak Articles Confederation national After the Americans declared independence from Great Britain, members of the Continental Congress realized they needed a written plan of government. In 1781, they wrote America’s first government: The Articles of Confederation. Because the Americans had recently freed themselves from KGIII, the harsh and controlling monarch of Great Britain, they feared giving the national government too much power. A weak national government was purposely created. Lawmaking laws national 70 money purse states population large small big state unequal taxes power imported commerce one currency The thirteen states had the power to create and enforce their own laws. There were very few national laws. In fact, 70% of Congress had to agree in order to pass a national law. Another lawmaking issue arose because small states with small population had the same say in national matters as big states with large populations. One vote per state created an unequal balance of power between small and large states. Finance$ The Congress could not collect taxes, so the national government had no money. The “power of the purse” lay in the hands of the thirteen state governments because they had the power to collect taxes from citizens. Additionally, the Congress could not control commerce, the trade and business between states and countries. The state government collected taxes on imported goods shipped in from other states and countries. Finally, each state had its own currency. There was not one, uniform type of money within the United States under the A.O.C lawmaking peace war postal navy legislative army broke judicial executive rights The Articles of Confederation did have some positive strengths. For example, there was a national Congress, or lawmaking body. The Congress did have the power to declare war and make peace. It could create an army or navy for national protection, and it could operate a postal service. One lawmaking, or legislative, group was not enough to keep America strongly united and organized. The United States lacked a key leader to make sure laws were enforced and carried out. Under the A.O.C., America was missing an executive branch of government. America was also missing the part of government that deals with guaranteeing people’s lawful rights, or punishing those citizens who broke laws. America was missing a unified court system and a judicial branch of government. The Articles of Confederation were not effectively working. In the summer of 1787, representatives from twelve states met in Philadelphia to discuss a new course of action for the United States government. Answer the following questions USING COMPLETE SENTENCES!! Use part of the question to begin each answer. Refer to the example below. EXAMPLE Q: What were The Articles of Confederation? A: The Articles of Confederation was America’s first written government plan. 1. Who wrote The Articles of Confederation? The Articles of Confederation was written by the Continental Congress. 2. What is the difference between a state government and a national government? A state government is when a state controls itself, whereas, a national government controls all of the states. 3. Under the A.O.C., America’s national government did NOT have “the power of the purse (money)”. Provide two examples as evidence. Under the A.O.C., America’s national government did NOT have “the power of the purse (money)” because they couldn’t collect taxes and couldn’t control commerce (trade) 4. Why was there conflict between small states and large states when it came to making decisions in Congress for the nation? There was conflict between small states and large states because each state got one vote regardless of size. 5. The A.O.C. did provide a Congress, or lawmaking group. Which two parts, or branches, of government were missing under the A.O.C.? The executive and judicial branches of government were missing under the A.O.C. 6. What were two powers of the national government under the A.O.C? The national government could declare war and make peace, create an army and a navy, and control the postal system. 7. What was the largest fear of the A.O.C. authors while creating America’s first form of government? The A.O.C. authors feared that they would give the national government too much power and possibly be mistreated again (by KGIII and British Parliament).