7-1.1 Discussion Notes

Articles of Confederation

State Constitutions

• Britain ignored the terms of the Treaty of Paris, and kept troops at frontier posts in American territory. They believed the new American government was weak and ineffective.

• In May 1776 the Continental Congress asked the states to organize their governments. Because of their experience with British rule, the states limited the power of the governors.

• They also divided government functions between the governor and the legislature. Most states established two-house, or bicameral, legislatures to divide the power even further.

• To keep power in the hands of the people they held elections frequently.

Forming a Republic• Establishing separate state governments turned

out to be much easier than creating a national government.

• They agreed the country should be a republic, a government in which the citizens rule through elected representatives, but disagreed on how to organize it.

• Most wanted a weak national government. The states would be independent —like the original colonies were. The states would act independently on most issues, working together through a national government only to wage war and handle relations with other nations.  

Planning a New Government• At the beginning of the war, the Second

Continental Congress wrote a plan of government called the Articles of Confederation, America's first constitution.

• Although it was not officially approved until March 1781, they followed it during the war. It allowed the states to keep their individual power but also formed an alliance or "a firm league of friendship.”

• The Articles of Confederation only had a legislature (no president and no courts) because the legislature was run by “the people.”

• Congress had to ask the state legislatures for money and troops, but the states did not have to contribute. Under the new plan, each state had one vote in Congress, regardless of its population, and all decisions had to be unanimous.

• The states with more people complained because they thought they should have more votes. The states also disagreed over which western land belonged to which colony.

The Confederation Government

• The national government was too weak under the Articles of Confederation.

• 9 out of 13 states had to agree in order to pass a new law.

• Changes to it required a unanimous vote.

STRENGTHS of the government under the

Articles of Confederation• 1)Could conduct foreign affairs• 2)Could maintain an army• 3)Could issue currency (money)• 4)Could borrow money from other• countries

WEAKNESSES of the government under the Articles of Confederation

• 1)Could NOT force citizens to join the army• 2)Did NOT have an Executive Branch (no

president)• 3)Did NOT have a Judicial branch (no Supreme

Court)• 4)Could NOT impose taxes• 5)Could NOT regulate currency from state to

state• 6)Could NOT regulate trade

New Land Policies

• The Articles of Confederation did not say how territories could become states, this concerned settlers living west of the Appalachian Mountains.

• Originally, each state was allowed to claim the land west of them all the way to the Pacific Ocean.

• In the 1780s all of the states, except Georgia, gave up their land claims west of the Appalachians.

• Thomas Jefferson suggested that when the number of people in a territory matched the number of people in the smallest state, or 60,000, it could petition, or ask, to become a state with the same rights and privileges as the original 13 states.

• The Land Ordinance of 1785 divided the lands north of the Ohio River into townships that were 6 miles square.

TownshipBase line 6 miles

Range line 6 miles

• Each Township was divided into thirty-six 640 acre sections that were sold at auction for at least a dollar an acre. Each section received its own number and could be divided into smaller sections.

• Section 16 was set aside for a public school. The federal government reserved sections 8, 11, 26, and 29 for veterans of the American Revolution.

• The Northwest Ordinance was passed in 1787 creating the Northwest Territory in the area north of the Ohio River Valley. It would help protect settlers from illegal “squatters”. Some congressmen even feared that the squatters might try to form their own country because they were so isolated from the rest of the nation.

• The Northwest Ordinance did not allow slavery. It was the United States' first attempt to stop the spread of slavery. These laws enabled settlement of the Northwest Territory in a stable and orderly manner.

Financial Problems• After the Revolution the Continental Congress

had a huge debt it could not pay. It owed money to American citizens and foreign governments who had loaned us money, and to soldiers for their military service.

• It begged the states for money without much luck. A 5% tax on imported goods was suggested, but the Articles of Confederation would have to be changed to allow Congress to levy, or collect, taxes. Only 12 states approved the plan. The financial crisis worsened.

Problems with Britain & Spain• After the Treaty of Paris, Britain left troops in the

Great Lakes region and did not allow Americans to trade with profitable British markets like the West Indies.

• In 1785 Congress sent John Adams to London to discuss the issues. The British were not willing to talk because the United States hadn’t kept its promises either.

• At the same time, Spain closed the lower Mississippi River to American shipping. They were trying to limit American expansion into Spanish territory west of the Mississippi River. Unfortunately, American settlers living west of the Appalachians depended on the river for their livelihood.

• The weakness of the Confederation and its inability to deal with problems worried the leaders. Many Americans began to think that the country needed a stronger government.