Topic 4 Lesson 1

Establishing the New Nation Lesson 1 The Articles of
Confederation

Establishing the New Nation Lesson 1 The Articles of
Confederation

Learning Objectives

•Explain how the states’ new constitutions reflected republican ideals.

•Describe the structure and powers of the national government under the Articles of
Confederation.

•Summarize the Congress’s plan for the settlement and governance of western lands.

•Understand why tensions with foreign countries revealed the weakness of the U.S.
government.

•List the main weaknesses of the Articles.

Establishing the New Nation Lesson 1 The Articles of
Confederation

Key Terms

•republics-

•unicameral legislature-

•bicameral legislature-

•Articles of Confederation-

•John Dickinson-

•federal-

•Northwest Territory-

•Land Ordinance of 1785-

•Northwest Ordinance of 1787-

•Shays’ Rebellion-

The States Create Republics

After the Revolutionary War, the Patriots feared the creation of another tyrannical or
abusive government, so they refused to entrust the new Union with much power. As a
result, most authority remained with the states. Within a short time, the powerful states
and weak national government faced severe problems.

The States Create Republics

•A Preference for Democracy

○unicameral legislature- one with a single house whose members were selected
by the people (Pennsylvania & Georgia) democratic view

○wanted strong legislatures and weak governors(greater right for the people)

•Maintaining Colonial Traditions

○bicameral legislature- lawmaking body with 2 houses (Senate & House of
Representatives) conservative view

○most states chose this form of government to prevent the common people
from gaining too much power

○counterbalance the power of common voters in the House with the power of
the wealthy in the Senate

•Accountability to the People

○as opposed to colonial era, voters chose the members of both houses

○most states elected their governor

○who votes??

■democratic patriots- wanted equal rights for all FREE MEN over 21 who
paid taxes

■conservative patriots-property owners only

○The House of Rep gained power at the expense of the Senate & governor–fear
the “tyranny of the majority”

•Religious Liberty

○most state guaranteed freedom of religion in their constitutions

Multiple Choice

Why did many states choose to create governments with bicameral legislatures?

• They wanted to limit the influence of the wealthy elite

• They feared giving the common people too much power.

• They foresaw the need for a two-party system of government.

• They felt it better served an increasingly diverse populace.

Multiple Choice

Which of these political reforms would have led conservative Patriots to worry about the "tyranny of the majority"?

• expanding the powers of the governor relative to the legislature

• limiting voting rights to free white men with a certain amount of property

• abandoning a bicameral legislature in favor of a unicameral legislature

• preventing the government from providing support for particular religions

The States Create Republics

In 1780, Massachusetts ratified its state constitution following a constitutional convention. Today, that
constitution is among the oldest still in use anywhere in the world.

The States Create Republics

Analyze Information What main advantages does a bicameral legislature offer? What advantages does
a unicameral legislature offer?

Union Under the Articles of Confederation

In 1777, the Continental Congress drafted the original constitution for the union of the
states, known as the Articles of Confederation. A confederation is a league or alliance of
states that agree to work together. Under the leadership of John Dickinson of
Pennsylvania, the Congress designed a loose confederation of 13 states, rather than a
strong and centralized nation. The Articles reflected the principles of the Declaration of
Independence and rejected the centralized power of the British Empire as a threat to
liberty. As Article II reads, “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.”

Union Under the Articles of Confederation

•A Federal Government

○congress of delegates chosen by state legislatures rather than by voters

○each state had a single vote (large=small)

○all powers were placed on Congress

○did not include a President or executive branch-powers spread through
committees of congress

•Powers of the National Congress

○granted certain limited powers to congress

■declare war

■conduct war

■negotiate peace

■foreign affairs & Indian relations

■no power to raise money through taxes

○minor issues required 7 votes–laws

○major issues required 13 votes–war

○1781-all states finally ratified the Articles of Confederation

Multiple Choice

"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."

—Articles of Confederation, Article II

This excerpt from the Articles of Confederation indicates that its authors were

• dedicated to expanding democracy.

• worried about the tyranny of the majority.

• aware of the benefits of creating a stronger national union.

• unwilling to transfer too much power to the national government.

Union Under the Articles of Confederation

The Articles of Confederation were the original constitution for the union of the 13 states. Analyze
Primary Sources What does the full title of this document suggest about the planned relationship
among the states?

Union Under the Articles of Confederation

Analyze Information Did Congress or the states exercise more authority under the Articles? What
details support this evaluation?

The Northwest Territory

One of the most important accomplishments of the national Congress under the Articles
of Confederation was establishing plans to settle and govern a vast territory over which
they had authority. This territory, called the Northwest Territory, lay north of the Ohio
River and west of Pennsylvania to the Mississippi River. By selling this land to speculators
and farmers, the Congress hoped to raise revenue and extend America’s republican
society westward.

The Northwest Territory

•Land Ordinance of 1785

○government feared losing control of the western settlements

○western settlement provoked Indian wars

○government could not afford to fight wars

•Land Ordinance of 1785- government program for managing the Northwest Territory

○surveyed and divided land into

■townships- 6 square mile

■36 sections-1 square miles (640 acres)

•Government under the Northwest Ordinance

○Northwest Ordinance of 1787-a government for the western territory

■appointed territorial governor , secretary, & 3 judges

■once territory reached 5000, could establish an elected assembly

■once territory reached 60,000, could apply for statehood

○Banned slavery

○Ohio, Indians, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, part of Minnesota

Multiple Choice

What was the purpose of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787?

• to force the British to leave forts in the Northwest Territory

• to address the government and settlement of new territories

• to grant limited war powers to the new national legislative body

• to guarantee suffrage and other basic rights to American Indians

The Northwest Territory

Analyze Maps How might the location of the Northwest Territory have made it difficult for the
Confederation government to manage?

Multiple Choice

The main problem that was arising in the Northwest Territory was

• enforcing farming regulations throughout the new region.

• deciding on appropriate actions to pacify relations with American Indians.

• how to admit new western states to the union.

• dividing territory among all of the region's new settlers.

The Northwest Territory

Federal surveyors working under the Land Ordinance of 1785 used sophisticated equipment like this
theodolite to measure the horizontal and vertical angles that divided land into townships.

The Northwest Territory

Analyze Information In what ways was the Northwest Territory similar the rest of the United States in
the late 1700s? In what ways was it different?

Relations With Foreign Powers

During the mid-1780s, the Spanish and the British did not take the United States seriously.
To them, the republican Confederation seemed weak to the point of anarchy, or
lawlessness.

Relations With Foreign Powers

•The Closure of New Orleans

○to discourage settlement west of the Appalachian Mtns, the Spanish forbade
American trade with New Orleans

•Disputes with Britain

○Britain renewed mercantilism and what used to be the Navigation Acts

○American could only trade with the British Empire

○Could no longer send ships to the British West Indies

○Restrictions especially hurt Massachusetts

○Congress was too weak to coordinate a common front against Britain's
mercantile policy

■American merchants began calling for a stronger national government

○Britain kept forts on the American side of the boundary set by the peace treaty

○Congress did not have the power to make states honor the treaty or force the
British to leave

■Settlers began calling for a stronger national government

Relations With Foreign Powers

The location of New Orleans at the juncture of the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico has made
the city a key commercial hub for centuries.

Relations With Foreign Powers

Analyze Maps What geographic factors likely made the British West Indies an important trade partner
with the young United States?

Multiple Choice

What did the British do to harm the United States' economy in the years following the Revolution?

• They ceased the import of all British goods to the United States.

• They banned American ships from trading with the West Indies.

• They prevented American vessels accessing the port of New Orleans.

• They charged American merchants prohibitively high tariffs on British goods.

Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation

The fledgling government under the Articles of Confederation found itself facing a host of
difficulties. It soon became clear to many that the Articles themselves were part of the
problem.

Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation

•Economic Weaknesses

○congress did not have the power to establish a common currency

○no power to regulate interstate commerce

○no power to levy taxes

○relied on contributions from each state-unreliable

•the states finally bankrupted the nation in 1786

○congress sought to pass a constitutional amendment to permit a 5% tax on
imported goods–failed twice by 1 vote

■if amending the articles was so difficult, maybe a new constitution was
needed??

•Shays' Rebellion

○with trading slowed by British policy(no shipments to West Indies) and a
decrease in prices paid to farmers, economic woes struck the Americans

○British supplies demanded payments

○Many lenders began to foreclose on the farmers

○In Massachusetts, farmers took up arms to shut down the courts to block
foreclosures

■Daniel Shay became a leader among the farmers and seized weapons
from the Springfield Armory and attempted to shut down the courts

■the state raised an army to suppress what became known as Shays’
Rebellion

■again, people are calling for a stronger national government

Multiple Choice

Which new problem was created by states' solutions to the issues raised by Shays' Rebellion?

• States taxes rose too greatly.

• Creditors faced the loss of investments.

• State governments became less stable.

• Militias suffered significant labor shortages.

Multiple Choice

What was Shays' Rebellion?

• a group of Massachusetts ship builders protesting British mercantilist policies

• a group of Revolutionary War veterans who marched on the Capitol to demand back pay from the government

• a group of farmers who tried to shut down the courts to stop foreclosure hearings

• a group of merchants who demonstrated against the policy of printing large quantities of paper money

Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation

Analyze Information Which weaknesses would likely cause the most problems for the nation over time?

Multiple Choice

The national government under the Articles of Confederation was weak mainly because it lacked the ability to

• levy taxes.

• declare war.

• pass new amendments.

• negotiate with foreign countries.

Multiple Choice

How did Congress under the Articles of Confederation differ from the state legislatures that operated in the United States during the 1780s?

• Representation in Congress was not proportional to the population.

• Delegates in Congress did not represent a particular constituency.

• State legislatures could not pass the kind of trade laws that Congress could.

• Congress required only a bare majority rather than a supermajority to pass laws.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following features of the Articles of Confederation made the plan of government less democratic than the U.S. Constitution?

• There was no system of federal courts.

• Congress could not levy or collect taxes.

• There was no separate executive branch to enforce acts of Congress.

• Each state had only one vote in Congress, regardless of its size.

Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation

American farmers faced hardships such as lower prices for their goods and rising debt in the late 1700s.
Growing discontent due to the possibility of foreclosure and a loss of livelihood pushed some farmers
to rebel.

Multiple Choice

Which form of state government was considered the most democratic and the least conservative?

• bicameral legislature with strong governor

• bicameral legislature with weak governor

• unicameral legislature with strong governor

• unicameral legislature with weak governor

Multiple Choice

In what significant way did most state governments differ from the federal government under the Articles of Confederation?

• Citizens elected their federal representatives.

• State governments negotiated with American Indian nations.

• The federal government did not have an executive branch.

• The federal government had a bicameral legislature.

Multiple Choice

The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 provided a plan for

• distributing the public lands.

• statehood for territories.

• recognition of American Indian nations.

• abolition of slavery throughout the nation.

Multiple Choice

Following the American Revolution, Britain tried to retaliate against the United States through

• trade boycotts.

• port closures.

• mercantilist trade policies.

• attacks on merchant vessels.

Multiple Choice

After the Revolution, the national government lacked the funds it needed to repay its war debts because

• the Articles did not create a national banking system.

• the Articles failed to give Congress the power to tax.

• Congress had committed the nation to unfavorable trade agreements.

• the Articles permitted Congress to borrow money from states.