The Articles of Confederation

1. The Articles of Confederation How the first attempt at creating a national government failed

2. The Treaty of Paris As the winners of the Revolution, the Americans gained a great deal : • They were now independent • The country extended all the way to the Mississippi • The U.S. could fish further out into the Atlantic • The British would return slaves

3. What river was the western most boundary of the United States after the war was over?

4. Economic Changes After the War Free Enterprise Because the Americans hated the Mercantile system they created the free enterprise system. Businesses would be owned by individuals and prices controlled by competition. Governments only role in business was to make sure they operated fairly. No more working just for the benefit of the Mother Country

5. New State Governments are Created Americans were afraid of powerful central governments. So, each state created republics. In a republic the citizens vote for representatives. Many states added a Bill of Rights to protect citizens from their state governments tyranny (corruption). Why do you think governments were created in each of the thirteen states? Think about John Locke’s reasons for having a government

6. The Massachusetts Constitution • The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the fundamental governing document of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, one of the 50 individual state governments that make up the United States of America. It was drafted by John Adams, Samuel Adams, and James Bowdoin The Massachusetts Constitution was the model for the Constitution of the United States of America, drafted seven years later.

7. The Massachusetts Constitution • The first part consists of thirty articles, the first of which states: • “ Article I. All men are born free and equal, and have certain natural, essential, and unalienable rights; among which may be reckoned the right of enjoying and defending their lives and liberties; that of acquiring, possessing, and protecting property; in fine, that of seeking and obtaining their safety and happiness. What is an article? What parts of this article are similar to the freedoms we have in our Constitution today?

8. The Articles of Confederation While the states were setting up their governments, Americans also discussed what type of national government should be created. The Continental Congress wrote the Articles of Confederation. In it each state would have one vote and the new lands stretching out to the Mississippi River were to be controlled by the national government. Open up to page 206 in your Creating America textbook and complete the chart

9. The Articles of Confederation I believe the _______________ had more power because………

10. The Northwest Territory Two of the important laws passed under the Articles of Confederation were the Northwest Ordinance and the Land Ordinance of 1785. These laws described how the new territories would be governed and how an area could apply for statehood.

11. Northwest Ordinance When there were 5,000 free males in an area, men who owned 50 acres of land or more could elect an assembly. When the area grew to 60,000 the assembly could ask the area to be entered into the Union as a new state. First the area had to outlaw slavery, guarantee freedom of religion and trial by jury before becoming a state. This ordinance created a pattern for the orderly growth of the United States. List the provision of the Northwest Ordinance: Fill in the missing step to becoming a state as set out by the Land ordinance of 1785

12. The Land Ordinance of 1785 What current States grew out of the Northwest Territory?

13. The Weaknesses of The Articles of Confederation After reading about the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation can you tell why they failed to effectively govern the new United States? Give two examples from the chart that you believe would make it difficult create new laws and create a strong military? Why would the states decide to create a weak national government to run the country? What were they afraid of?

14. Shays Rebellion Many states faced economic problems. People had little money and taxes were high. If a farmer couldn’t pay his taxes the state would sell his farm. If that didn’t pay the debt he could be put in jail. Daniel Shays, a Revolutionary soldier and other farmers asked the State of Massachusetts to help out by making the debt laws less strict, The state refused to help them. Upon hearing about the uprising Thomas Jefferson said “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants’ What do you think he was trying to say and who were the tyrants he was talking about?

15. Shays Rebellion Daniel Shays led 1,500 men in a march on a federal arsenal, A place to store weapons. The arsenal was defended by 900 state militia men. The militia men quickly defeated Shays men. People all over the 13 states sided with the farmers. Leaders of the states realized that this small uprising could soon lead to a bigger uprising and another war. The states however had all the power and the national government couldn’t tell them what to do. Something had to change before it became to late. What do you think needs to happen to stop the States from abusing the soldiers?

16. Quiz Time • Take out one lined piece f paper • Put your complete heading on the top • Write out the question and write out your answer choice along with the letter of your choice • See example: 1. Who was the first President of the United States • B, George Washington

17. Quick Quiz • Established a process for applying for statehood • Religious freedom guaranteed • Trial by jury guaranteed • Banned Slavery 1. Which document included all the provisions above. A. The Articles of Confederation B. The Mayflower Compact C. The Declaration of Independence D. The Northwest Ordinance

18. 2. Which of the following was a weakness of the Articles' of Confederation? A. They were easy to change B. The federal (National) government was too powerful. C. The federal government could not regulate trade D. The Federal government increased taxes too quickly

19. The National Government wasn’t able to: Stop disputes between the states, Raise taxes to pay soldiers salaries, Enforce laws 3. This list summarizes the limitations of the National government under the- A. Mayflower Compact B. The U.S. Constitution C. The Articles of Confederation D. The Declaration of Independence

20. 4. Under the Articles of Confederation the States could- A. Wage war B. Issue Money C. Sign treaties with foreign nations D. Enforce national laws

21. 3 2 4 1 5. Which area of the map represents how far the United States spread west after the Revolution? • A. 1 • B. 2 • C. 3 • D. 4

22. 6. Shays rebellion showed that- A. The states were willing to help the farmers B. The states wanted gold C. The national government needed to be stronger D. The states needed to have more power

23. 7. Which of the following is the best reason for making the Articles of Confederation a weak form of government? • The President was taxing too much • The citizens were worried about tyranny • The states were too powerful • The Citizens were worried about invasion

24. 8. What did the North West Ordinance create? • A system for creating new laws • A system for creating new states • A method for ending slavery • A method for creating new townships

25. 9. What did the Land Ordinance of 1785 create? a. A system for creating new states b. A system for creating new laws c. A method for ending slavery d. A method for creating new townships

26. Which of these states is not in the Northwest Territory? • Michigan • Ohio • Idaho • Indiana

27. Things to know • 1. The articles were weak • 2. States had all the powers • 3. The national government could not control the states or trade between the states. • 4. The N.W. O. makes New States • 5. The L.O. Makes new Towns • 6. Shay’s rebellion showed we needed a stronger central government.