Download Why did the Articles of Confederation fail? Courts

Chapter 7, Section 1
Governing A New Nation
Section Focus Question:
What were the major successes
and failures of the government
under the Articles of
Confederation?
-Learn about the new state
constitutions.
-Learn about the Articles of
Confederation
-Find out about laws for settling
new lands in the west.
-Understand the problems of the
Articles of Confederation.
Government by the States
Writing State Constitutions
-Many of the former colonies
wrote new state constitutions.
-The states minimized the
power of state governors
because colonial governors
had abused their power.
-Most power was given to the
state legislature, the
lawmaking body elected by
the people.
Government by the States
(cont)
-The new state constitutions
allowed more people to vote.
-Most states, white men 21
years or older could vote if
they owned property.
-Women and African
Americans could not vote.
-Virginia was the first state to
have a bill of rights, which is a
list of essential freedoms that
the government is required to
respect.
Protecting Rights
-The Declaration of Independence
listed ways that Britain had
violated the rights of individuals.
Virginia Bill of Rights
-Freedom of Religion
-Freedom of the Press
-Trail by Jury
-Limits on Searches
-Limits on Arrests
-No Cruel and Unusual
Punishment
-To prevent such abuses, states
sought to protect individual rights.
-Virginia was the first state to
include a bill of rights in its
constitution.
-Many other states followed
Virginia’s lead.
-New York and Massachusetts
included Freed of Religion in their
Bill of Rights.
Why did many state constitutions
limit the power of state governors?
Because of bad experiences in the
past under colonial governors.
The Articles of Confederation
Form of Government
The Continental Congress created the Articles of
Confederation in 1777. It was the first central government
of the United States.
-Instead of have three branches of government like those
of most states, the government under the Articles had just
one branch or unicameral legislature with delegates, or
representatives, from each state.
-Within Congress, all states would be equal and each had a
single vote.
-For important matters, nine sates had to agree before a
law could go into effect.
The Articles of Confederation
Limited Government
-The new states did not want to risk giving too much
power to a central government far from the people. So the
Articles provided for a limited central government
- The main power of Congress involved foreign affairs.
- All 13 states had to agree on all amendments.
- 9 of the 13 states had to agree on all federal laws.
* Under the Articles of Confederation, the states had more
power than the federal government.
Examples: taxation and law enforcement
* The Articles of Confederation had a weak federal
government on purpose because they were afraid of
their experiences with the British monarchy and
Parliament.
Why did the Articles of Confederation fail?
I. Currency Issues
• The United States did not have a common currency.
• Americans carried money from
the federal government, state
government, and foreign nations.
• Merchants stopped accepting money from outside of their
own state, causing a lot of money to become worthless.
• This caused an increase in inflation.
Why did the Articles of Confederation fail?
II. Debt
• Congress could not tax the people and depended on money
from the states.
• Therefore, the U.S. was unable to pay its debts!
Examples:
- The U.S. owed money to France, Holland, and Spain for
loans made during the Revolutionary War.
- The U.S. had not paid many of their own soldiers!
Why did the Articles of Confederation fail?
III. International and Domestic Problems
• The U.S. lacked the
military power to defend
itself against Great Britain
and Spain.
• States acted as
individual countries and
seldom agreed.
Example:
- Connecticut and Virginia
almost went to war over
land claims!
Why did the Articles of Confederation fail?
Courts (Judicial Branch)
• The nation lacked a
national court system.
Supreme Court
Why did the Articles of Confederation fail?
President (Executive Branch)
• The nation did not have a
President, or Chief Executive.
White House
Why did the Articles of Confederation fail?
Congress (Legislative Branch)
• Congress had one house. (unicameral)
• Laws were difficult to pass, needing the
approval of nine states.
• Congress was responsible to the states, not
the people.
• Congress had no power to collect taxes,
regulate trade, coin money, or establish a
Capitol
Capitol Building
military.
Building
How did the Articles of
Confederation ensure the power of
the states?
Congress could not regulate trade,
could not tax, and had no way to
enforce any laws it make. Only the
states could exercise these
powers.
Settling the Western Lands
Settling the Western Lands
One of the national government’s most important
tasks was to create a way to sell national lands to
the public.
The Land Ordinance of 1785 was the system it
created. It divided western lands into square
townships.
Land
Ordinance
of 1785
• Congress
surveyed
the land
into squares
6 miles on
each side.
(townships)
Land
Ordinance
of 1785
• Each town
was divided
into 36
smaller
sections, 640
acres each.
(the cost was
a minimum
of $1 per
acre)
Land
Ordinance
of 1785
• People
pooled their
money in
order to be
able to
afford a
piece of
land.
Theoretical
township
diagram
showing
method of
numbering
sections with
adjoining
sections.
Northwest Ordinance (1787)
-Investors were eager to buy land in the Northwest
Territory, north of the Ohio River.
-They pressed Congress to determine how the area would
be governed.
-In response, Congress passed the North West Ordinance
of 1787.
-It guaranteed basic rights for settlers and banned
slavery there.
-The Northwest Ordinance set a three-step process for
admitting new states.
Northwest Ordinance (1787)
• When 5,000 free
males of voting age
settled an area, it
became selfgoverning.
• When the
population reached
60,000 free citizens,
the area could apply
for statehood. Ex.)
OH, IN, IL, MI, WI
• Slavery was outlawed.
How did the two ordinances turn
national land into private holdings?
They divided public land into
townships that could be purchased
by private investors. Once a
specified number of people resided
in the purchased territory, it could
apply to become a state.
Growing Problems
-Under the Articles of Confederation, the United States
won its independence, signed a peace treaty with Britain,
and created rules for settling territories.
-There were also problems: Trade and tax issues between
states hurt the economy, the national government could
not stop public unrest, and it had little money because it
could not collect taxes.
-Because the United States seemed to be weak, powerful
nations viewed it with scorn.
-British troops continued to occupy forts in the Northwest
Territory.
-Spain refused to let Americans ship products down the
Mississippi River.
Shays’ Rebellion
•Farmer’s income
decreased while taxes
increased.
• In Massachusetts,
many Farmers who
could not pay their debts
had their farms taken
away by the courts.
Massachusetts farmer
Daniel Shays and his
supporters occupy a
Massachusetts courthouse.
• Therefore, in 1786, Daniel Shays led a group of farmers in
an attempt to capture a federal arsenal.
Men Fighting
During Shays'
Rebellion
• The U.S., without an organized army, was powerless.
Massachusetts sent a militia to stop the rebellion.
• Shays’ Rebellion convinced many people that the U.S.
needed a new, stronger government.
• The Articles of Confederation needed to be replaced!
What did Shay’s Rebellion
demonstrate about the strength of
the national government under the
Articles of Confederation?
That they provided for a
government that was too weak to
keep popular unrest in check.
Chapter 7, Section 1
Governing A New Nation
Section Focus Question:
What were the major successes
and failures of the government
under the Articles of
Confederation?
Success—formed the framework of
a government; established
Congress. Failures—did not
provide for a strong central
government; did not provide for an
executive or a system of national
courts.