Articles of Confederation America’s First Plan of Government

1. Articles of ConfederationAmerica’s First Plan of Government Prepared by: Jaime Leverington

2. The Articles of Confederation • Discussion Preview • The Basics • What are the Articles of Confederation? • The Reasons • What beliefs about government contributed to their form? • Governing • How did the government operate under the Articles of Confederation? • The Legacy • What is the appropriate way to remember the Articles? In 1776, Benjamin Franklin designed this coin for the Continental currency. What is the message? 1

3. The Articles of ConfederationBasics • What are the Articles of Confederation? • What are the major features of the document? 2

4. The Articles of ConfederationBasics 'A Firm League of Friendship' • The major features of the document • Each state retains its sovereignty • In Congress, each state gets onevote • In Congress, each state sends 2-7 representatives • No executive power, no judicial power • 13 states to ratify, took 13 to amend • 9 states (2/3) to pass a law John Dickinson Primary Author 3a

5. The Articles of ConfederationBasics 'A Firm League of Friendship' • The major challenges of governing under the Articles • Unreliable method of tax collection • No authority to regulate interstate commerce • No national currency • No power over individual citizens • No way to enforce treaties in states, create uniform foreign policy Samuel Huntington President of Confederation Congress, 1781 3b

6. The Articles of ConfederationBasics • The tax problem • How were taxes to be collected? • What happened when a State did not pay its tax bill? 4

7. The Articles of ConfederationReasons • How do the Articles of Confederation reflect the “Spirit of ’76”? 5

8. “They believed that a federal government was one created by equal and independent states who delegated to it sharply limited authority and who remained superior to it in every way.” From “The Idea of a National Government” by Merrill Jensen, 1943 on page 357 The Articles of ConfederationReasons • What beliefs about government are reflected by the Articles of Confederation? 6

9. The Articles of ConfederationReasons • “The price of union was an exaggerated…….solicitude for state’s rights” – Peter S. Onuf (page 91) • According to Onuf, How did ‘Confederation Politics’ (pg 88) make the Articles of Confederation an essential step toward union? 7

10. The Articles of ConfederationGoverning • Case Study 1: The Impost Tax • Congress proposes a 5% tax on import goods • Repeated efforts to amend Articles to allow impost tax fail • Rhode Island blocks initial attempt • Repeated attempts also fail. • Tax revenue challenge is the greatest challenge, no solution under Articles Independence Hall, Philadelphia 8

11. The Articles of ConfederationGoverning • Case Study 2: Shay’s Rebellion • A farmer rebellion in Western Massachusetts • Congress is unable to respond to it, private banks in Boston fund private army to put it down • A failure of government to deal with internal security threats. 9

12. The Articles of ConfederationGoverning • Case Study 3: The Northwest Ordinance • 60 Second Civics describes Northwest Ordinance • What does the Northwest Ordinance accomplish? • Audio Source 10

13. The Articles of ConfederationLegacy • Did Maryland make the difference? • If Maryland would have ratified the Articles earlier, they could have gone into effect in Feb. 1778, rather than March of 1781. • Could the Articles have survived if they were given those 2 years of legitimacy? 11

14. The Articles of ConfederationLegacy “The failures of the Articles, often exaggerated for rhetorical effect, helped shape the new constitutional order that superseded them.” “Most important, the Articles established a necessary framework for working towards a continental constitutional order.” From “The First Federal Constitution: The Articles of Confederation” by Peter S. Onuf on page 97 • What is the appropriate way to remember the Articles of Confederation? 12