Download Articles of Confederation Lecture

AP US History ! The Articles of Confederation
John Dickenson drafted a proposal in "##$ for a national government%
which he called the Articles of Confederation& Congress adopted a
weak version of the Articles and sent it to the states for ratification in
"###& The Articles were debated on for over a year and in "##'% twelve
state legislatures agreed to the new government& But Maryland
delayed% refusing to sign until all states claiming lands north of the
Ohio River turned these territories over to the United States& Maryland
lawmakers wanted to keep Virginia and New York from expanding to
such a degree that they would dominate the new nation& Beginning in
"#("% northwestern claims by individual states were abandoned% and the
Articles finally became law March "% "#(" and were in effect until March
)% "#('&
What w ere the achievemen ts of th e Articles of
Confederation ?
• The Articles of were the first drafted proposal for a national
government in America&
• The Articles established a form of government in which Americans
were citizens of their own states first and of the United States
second&
• Under the Articles% the national government consisted of a single*
chamber national Congress% elected by the state legislatures% in
which each state had only one vote&
• The Articles set up a national legislature that could raise an army
and navy% declare war and negotiate treaties% borrow and coin
money% run a postal system and handle relations with the Native
Americans&
AP US History ! The Articles of Confederation
What w ere the weakn esses of th e Articles of C onf ederation ?
• Congress could request funds from the states but could enact no tax
of its own without every state+s approval% nor could it regulate
interstate or overseas commerce&
• There was not an executive branch provided in the Articles&
Instead% congressional committees oversaw financial% diplomatic%
and military affairs&
• The Articles also did not provide a judicial system by which the
national government could compel allegiance to its laws&
What w ere the provision s th at made the Articles of
Confederation so w eak?
• The Articles created a weak central government&
• There was no national court system or executive branch% but there
was a unicameral congress in which each state had one vote&
• Financial% diplomatic and military affairs were managed by
congressional committees&
• The president of the Continental Congress was simply the presiding
officer of the legislature and had no executive functions&
• The Congress could request funds from states but couldn+t pay
people directly&
• Under the Articles% each state had full sovereignty% freedom% and
independence&
AP US History ! The Articles of Confederation
Land Ordinan ce of " #(,: This was adopted on May -.% "#(,& It laid
the foundations of American land policy until the passage of the
Homestead Act in "($-& In the Ordinance of "#(,% Congress established
uniform procedures for surveying the land& This was in response to
states surrendering claims to more than "$. million acres north of the
Ohio River& This law established that the basic unit of settlement was a
township six miles square& Every township divided into /$ sections of
$). acres each% one of which would be reserved as a source of income
for schools&
Northw est Ordin ance of " #( #: Congress defined the steps for the
creation and admission of new states& This law designated the area
north of the Ohio River as the Northwest Territory and provided for its
later percentage into state& This Northwest Ordinance also banned
slavery from a territory for the first time% although the citizens could
still legalize the institution after statehood&
The Northwest Ordinance of "#(# outlined three stages for admitting
states into the Union:
"& During the initial years of settlement% Congress would appoint a
territorial governor and judges&
-& As soon as ,%... adult males lived in a territory% the people would
write a temporary constitution and elect a legislature that would
pass the territory+s laws&
/& When total population reached $.%...% the settlers would write a
state constitution% which Congress would have to approve before
granting statehood&
The Ordin an ce of " #( , an d th e Northwest Ordin an ce of "#(#
became th e C onf ederation +s major con tribu tions to
American History& Both measures later served as models for
organizing territories later acquired west of the Mississippi River&
Source: The Enduring Vision vol! "% chapter $ 0p& "(,*"((1
The Articles of Confederation
Su mmar iz ing th e weak ness es o f the A r ticles o f Con fed eratio n!
There were many reasons for the weakness of the national government under the Articles of Confederation! Using
the information in textbook" complete the organizer below by filling in the bubble with the weaknesses of the
Articles of Confederation!
Weaknesses of the
Articles of
Confederation
The Articles of Confederation
Su mmar iz ing th e weak ness es o f the A r ticles o f Con fed eratio n!
There were many reasons for the weakness of the national government under the Articles of Confederation! Using
the information in textbook" complete the organizer below by filling in the bubble with the weaknesses of the
Articles of Confederation!
Difficult to pass laws
– 9 of 13 states
needed to approve
Difficult to amend of
change the articles –
unanimous vote
needed
No executive branch
to enforce the laws.
Weaknesses of the
Articles of
Confederation
No Judicial branch to
interpret the laws.
No power to collect
taxes
No power to regulate
trade with foreign
countries or between
states