Download Articles of Confederation

AP United States History
Unit 2 A New Nation
America after
the Revolution
 Growth of Nationalism.
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Defined.
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Unlike other revolutions,
nationalism develops
during the conflict with
Britain, but not before it.
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The Spirit of ‘76
http://www.fifedrum.org/webring/spiritof76_medium.jpg
Pride in or devotion to
one’s country.
Common sacrifices,
experiences, and battles
help to solidify America.
America after
the Revolution
 Colonists think of
themselves as a
separate society.
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Distinct from Europe
based on society,
economics, and attitudes.
No landed nobility, no
kings, and a belief in the
equality of man.
More educated and
liberal.
Many come from the
middle-class.
Benjamin Franklin
http://www.synthstuff.com/mt/archives/ben_franklin.jpg
America after
the Revolution
 Local ties remain
predominant.
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Map of the 13 Colonies
http://www.gibbs-smith.com/textbooks/downloads/13colonies/map.gif
Most Americans still
consider themselves as
citizens of their states, not
as Americans.
Belief that the sovereignty
of the state was more
important than that of the
power of the central
government.
Would prove to be a
problem later.
America after
the Revolution
 United in name only.
 Issues included:
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Western land claims.
Slavery.
Issues with foreign
nations and Indians.
Prewar and postwar
debts of individual
states.
Merchants and
producers vs.
agriculture.
Interstate trade.
Second Continental Congress
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The Articles of Confederation
Origins
 First incarnation of
our national
government.
Articles of Confederation
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The Articles of Confederation
Origins
 Drawn up by John Dickinson of
Pennsylvania.
 Originally
made the federal government
strong, provided a bill of rights, and created
a system of taxation.
 Most Americans were still advocates for the
state being stronger than the central
government.
 Delegates to the Convention chop it up,
making the Articles weaker.
The Articles of Confederation
Origins
 Ratification required
by all thirteen states,
would not be finalized
until 1781.
John Dickinson
http://www.billofrightsinstitute.org/Instructional/Resources/C
onstitutionDay/FoundersGallery/dickinson.jpg
The Articles of Confederation
Western Land Claims
 The “landed” states had
overlapping claims,
causing tension.
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The “landless” states did
not want to be left out.
Believed that the
monopolization of
Western lands would
create dissent and
imbalance in the Union.
 Landed states agree,
Jefferson’s Conception
of the NW Territories
http://www.jlindquist.com/OM2images/jefferson.gif
but declare that all land
claims are void.
The Articles of Confederation
Key Rights in the Articles
 Each state receives one vote regardless of size.
 Limits to national power are contained in Article 2.

“Each state retains its sovereignty, freedom, and
independence, and every Power, jurisdiction, and
right, which is not by this Confederation expressly
delegated to the United States, in Congress
assembled.”
 No right to tax individuals or states.
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Relied on the states for yearly contributions.
Major weakness of the United States under the
Articles of Confederation.
The Articles of Confederation
Powers of Congress
 Declare war.
 Make treaties.
 Establish a postal
system.
 Coin and borrow money.
 Regulate Indian affairs.
 Unicameral
legislature.
Articles of Confederation
http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/constitution/images/fig2.jpg
The Articles of Confederation
Process for Enacting Laws
 One state, one vote.
 9 of 13 needed to approve laws.
 No process for amendment.
The Articles of Confederation
Executive Powers
 No separate
executive branch.
 President appointed
by Congress.
 Has no true power.
Samuel Huntington,
First President of the Confederation
http://www.huntington.tierranet.com/bios/images/sam4.gif
The Articles of Confederation
Judicial Powers
 None provided for a
national government.
 Only state courts
have judicial power.
 Creates
chaos.
Lady Justice
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The Articles of Confederation
State Powers
 States retain all
powers not
specifically granted
to Congress in the
Articles.
Patrick Henry
http://etc.usf.edu/clipart/0/25/henry_1_lg.gif
The Articles of Confederation
State Constitutions
 Republican based.
 Did not drastically alter from colonial
laws, with the exception of no outside
controls.
 Three

branches.
Executive, judicial, legislative.
 Power
concentrated in the legislature.
Can declare war, conduct foreign relations,
and control courts.
 Only tax-paying landholders could vote.
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The Articles of Confederation
State Constitutions
 People are citizens, not
subjects.
 A majority of the state
constitutions contain a bill
of rights, enumerating the
rights guaranteed all
citizens under law.
liberty Bell with First Flag
http://images.jupiterimages.com/common/detail/06/15/23431506.jpg
The Articles of Confederation
State Constitutions
 Drafted written constitutions.
 Based on colonial experience, the
British system, the Enlightenment, and
Greco-Roman traditions.
 Social contracts spelling out the powers
and duties of the government.
 Wanted them to be written.
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Believed that unwritten constitutions, such as
the British one, caused too much controversy
and led to the Revolution.
Triumph of the Articles
Land Ordinance of 1785
 Divided up and provided the
Western lands for sale by the
federal government.
 Ensured orderly development
of the West.
 Provided a simplified plan for
dealing with frontier defense.
 Set aside land in each new
township for the building of
schools.
Draft of the Land
Ordinance
http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/images/767.jpg
Triumph of the Articles
Northwest Ordinance
 Drafted by Thomas Jefferson, set down into law how
new states would be admitted into the Union.
Northwest Territory
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Triumph of the Articles
Northwest Ordinance
 The Northwest Territory could
be carved into no less than
three and no more than five
states.
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Northwest Ordinance
http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/Images/northwest.gif
When 60,000 people settled into
one of the political subdivisions,
the territory could petition
Congress to become a state.
 Slavery is prohibited.
 People living in the territories are
to be considered citizens of the
United States and not treated as
second-class citizens.
Problems Under the Articles
Border Problems with Britain & Spain
 Britain refuses to evacuate
Western posts, as per the
Treaty of Paris.
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Causes many problems with
Britain and disrupts trade.
Britain felt that the American
government was not
upholding the clause about
supporting British debt
collectors.
Treatment of a British
Loyalist
http://www.whereistheoutrage.net/wordpress/wp-
Problems Under the Articles
Border Problems with Britain & Spain
 Spain and Florida,
Alabama, and
Mississippi.
 Spain
Spanish Louisiana Regiment
http://www.somosprimos.com/sp2005/spoct05/Louisianasoldiers..JPG
captures
American territory
(the city of Natchez).
 Closes the
Mississippi River to
American
commerce, hurting
Western farmers.
Problems Under the Articles
Foreign Trade
 Was excluded from the
British imperial trade union.
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Policy of mercantilism still
exists, Britain shifts its focus on
its other colonies.
 Merchants in New England
suffer because they cannot
participate in trade.
 British merchants flood
American markets with
cheap goods.
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Creates a depression in
America as many domestic
industries fold.
Seal of the British East India
Company
http://www.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/gallery/East-West/images/India_04_obv.gif
Problems Under the Articles
Economic Problems
 Congress and debt.
 Could not pay off debts.
 National depression
caused by lack of
trade, cheap foreign
goods, and stingy
states.
 War veterans were not
provided for.
Robert Morris
Financier of the Revolution
http://cache.eb.com/eb/image?id=62612&rendTypeId=4
 Inflation.
Problems Under the Articles
Shays’ Rebellion
 Massachusetts legislature is
determined to pay its debt
by collecting back taxes,
seizing the land of debtors,
and sending people to
prison.
 Poor western farmers
organize under war veteran
Daniel Shays and forcibly
prevent courts from
holding sessions.
 Impact: Many Americans
feel that the nation is on
the brink of collapse.
Shays’ Rebellion
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d7/Shays.jpg
Merit Point Question #1
 The measure passed by the Confederation
Congress prohibiting slavery in the
Western territories above the Ohio River
was the
A. Northwest Ordinance.
B. Treaty of Paris of 1783.
C. Articles of Confederation.
D. Homestead Act.
E. Proclamation of 1763.
Merit Point Question #2
 The group most likely to approve of the
Articles of Confederation would be
A. former officers in the Continental army.
B. those who feared strong central
government.
C. those who held U. S. government
securities.
D. bankers, merchants, and financiers.
E. those who feared the dangers of
unrestrained democracy.
Merit Point Question #3
 One of the chief reasons for the failure of
the Articles of Confederation was
A. their lack of an adequate mechanism for
Congress to force states to comply with its
decisions.
B. their focus on the separation of powers within the
federal branch of government.
C. their failure to adequately curb the powers of the
executive branch of government.
D. their failure to provide women and free blacks
with the right to vote.
E. their strict tax collections provisions.