After the War The Birth of a Nation

The Nation’s First Governments

Articles of ConfederationChapter 8

Revolutionary War & Declaration of Independence

• Revolutionary War & Declaration of Independence- Destroyed British government in the American colonies

• Social Contract was broken – needed to be replaced

• What to replace it with?• America needed a new

plan of government

• British government

• Destroyed government

• Needed to rebuilt a new government

What to replace it with?

• The Declaration of Independence did not declare America to be a single country.

• The 13 colonies became 13 separate “countries” each with its own set of laws and government.

• They called themselves “states.”

Confederation

• There were some things that a state could not do on its own– It could not raise and

maintain an army

Confederation

• For this and other reason, the Second Continental Congress made plans for a “firm league of friendship” among states

• They were called the Articles of Confederation

Confederation

• A confederation is a group of individuals (in this case governments) who band together for a common purpose.

• The Articles of Confederation established a system by which states could work with each other

What to replace it with?

• At the time, the idea of separate, independent states appealed to most Americans.

• They were uninterested in creating a large central government of their own.

State Vs. National government

State government Central or national government

State V. National Government

• Atlas Activity

Articles of Confederation

• 1781-1789• America’s First Constitution• Strong State or local

government• Weak central or national

government– Opposite of what they had

with England– Mistrust of central

government– No power to tax– 1 branch of governemt

State V. National government

State government• 3 branches of government

– Legislative ( representatives- create the laws)

– Executive( president- enforce the laws)

– Judicial( courts – judge or interpret the laws)

National/ Central government• 1 branch of government

– legislative( representatives- create the laws)

Think – Pair- Share

• Think & Answer in your notebook:

Why were the Americans afraid to set up a strong national or central government?

Statehood

• State Constitutions- Each new American state immediately confirmed its independence by writing its own constitution.

• These documents were different from Britain’s because they were detailed and written down.

Statehood

• Each state had set up a government similar to the colonial government that had come before it.

• Republic = representatives• Popular sovereignty –common

people rule• Separation of Powers ( 3

branches of government)• Each had:

– Governor-elected by citizens or chosen by legislature

– System of Courts- interpret laws– Legislature- passes laws

Statehood

• Many state constitutions also included a Bill of Rights which guaranteed certain basic rights.– Freedom of speech– Press– Religion– education

State ConstitutionsBasic Ideas of Government

Government

Natural Rights

Social Contract

Popular Sovereignty

Check & Balances

Separation of Powers

L E J

Bill of RightsRepresentation

What freedoms should people have?

Speech, press, religion, education, voting, slavery

National government under The Articles of Confederation

• 1. Congress was one house, unicameral and each state got one vote

• 2. Congress was given few powers

• 3. Congress had no power to tax or enforce laws

Accepted! Ratification!

• By 1781, all 13 states had ratified, or voted in favor of the Articles of Confederation

• We had a new official government.

Ratification= official approval

Articles of ConfederationBest thing

• Best thing Congress did under the Articles of Confederation was the Northwest Ordinances– Creation of Northwest

Territory– Decided how to governed

those western land• Basic rights • No slavery• education

Achievements of the Articles of Confederation

• States claiming for themselves western land

• Problem – not all states equal access to the land

• Solution – National government ( for all) takes control of western land

• Question – What to do with the western land?

• What to do with the western land?– New laws or

ordinances ( ordinances = laws)• on what to do with• how to divide it• how to govern these

lands

How to divide itDivided western land

– Creating Northwest Territory & possibility of new states• Ohio• Indiana• Michigan• Illinois• Wisconsin• Minnesota

What to do with it ?Sell it to help pay war debts some land for schools – promoted public education

Northwest Ordinances• Described how to governed

western territory• Created the process in which

territories would become equal states

• Included a bill of rights– Freedom of religion, speech,

habeas corpus, trial by jury– Free education– Prohibited slavery in

Northwest Territory ( no slavery allowed)

– “ good faith” with Indians

Weaknesses of the Articles

• The Articles had serious problems:– Congress could not levy/

collect taxes– Congress could not pass

laws unless nine states voted in favor of it• Amend= to change (in this

case there needed to be a unanimous vote)

– Congress could not enforce laws, so if a state ignored a law, nothing could be done

Weaknesses

• Congress could not collect or levy taxes

• **The government had to borrow money to pay for war against Britain**

• Congress allowed the states to fall into debt and taxed trade between states.

Articles of Confederation

Success • Governed the nation

during the Revolutionary War

• Negotiated the Treaty of Paris of 1783 at the end of the war

• Northwest Territory Passed the Land Ordinances of 1785 Passed the Northwest Ordinances 1787

Weaknesses• Lacked power to enforce

laws• Lacked power to

levy/collect taxes• Lacked power to regulate

trade among the states• Required all 13 states to

approved changes in the Articles.

Shays’s Rebellion

• The burden of taxes fell upon American citizens

• Daniel Shays decided he had enough– He was a farmer who

had fallen into heavy debt

– The Massachusetts courts were threatening to take his farm away as payment for his debts.

Shays’s Rebellion

• He thought that the state had no right to punish him for a problem the state had created

• A group of 1200 farmers marched to the courthouse.

• The governor ordered state troops to break up the march

Shays’s Rebellion

• Shays was defeated• American began to fear that

there would be more violent incidents.

• It was now clear that the states needed to set up a stronger central government.

• Now they had reason for action. If government couldn’t control their own people how could they control or defend/protect from other countries

Shays’s Rebellion Outcome

• In 1787, 12 of the states sent delegates to a meeting in Philadelphia

• The purpose of the meeting was to revise the Articles of Confederation.

Think-Pair-Share: Articles of Confederation

• Think & Answer in your notebook:1.Who had most powers under the Articles of Confederation?

2.Why were the Americans afraid to set up a strong national or central government?

3.Mention 2-5 weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation.

Process : Acrostic PoemArticles of Confederation

Print the word “Articles” or “Confederation” vertically - letter by letter, along the left margin of the page. Each letter then becomes the starting point for a word, phrase, or sentence that describes the topic. A_____________________________R_____________________________T_____________________________ I_____________________________C_____________________________L_____________________________E_____________________________S_____________________________

Example: Articles of Confederation

After the war- the new 13 states

Recreated a new government

That gave more power to the states

Independent states working on their own

CLES