Aim: What caused the failure of the Articles of Confederation?

This is the story of Steve who for the past 6 years has been dreaming about going away to college and being out on his own.

• He said he was tired of his midnight curfew and his mother’s demand that he call her after school if he was going to a friend’s house.

• He said that his chores (mowing the lawn and cleaning his room) were too much.

• He said that having to share a car with his sister Catie was unfair since all of his friends had their own car.

• He said that he didn’t like his parents checking his homework and making him re-write his college applications.

• He said he didn’t like having to eat dinner at 6:00 P.M. each night and having no say in what was being served.

• He left in September to attend Arizona State University.• He is so happy to be home for the winter break! What gives?

A New Nation is Born

• After breaking away from Britain, the newly formed United States needed to create their own form of government.

• The members of the Continental Congress fear putting too much power directly into the hands of the people, and instead decide to create a Republic.

• What are the differences between a Democracy and a Republic?

A New Nation is Born

• "Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There was never a democracy yet that did not commit suicide."- John Adams

A New Nation is Born

• While many of the states were creating their own Constitutions, a question emerged as to how much power a new national government would have.

• Why would many Americans be wary of a strong national government?

The Articles of Confederation

• Ratified on March 1, 1781 by the Second Continental Congress, the Articles of Confederation would be the United States first form of government.

• The Articles were seen as a compromise between those who supported a strong central government and those who did not support a strong central government

The Articles of Confederation• Main points of the Articles:– Each state retains its independence and all powers

not expressly given to the national government– Allows free movement between the states– Grants each state exactly one vote in the

Congress, regardless of population– Gives the national government the ability to

negotiate with foreign countries, declare war, etc.

The Articles of Confederation

– Did not allow the national government to create taxes, they instead had to request funds from individual states.

– The national government would control the army, but could not maintain one in peace time, and individual states had power over their individual militias

– The new government would be responsible for the debt from the Revolutionary War (over $40 million)

– Any changes or Amendments needed to be unanimous (all states must agree)

• Which of these provisions seem to be most problematic? Least?

Success of the Articles

• Ends the Revolutionary War on September 3, 1783 with the Treaty of Paris

Success of the Articles

• Organized the Western Territories– Land Ordinance of 1785- Sought to raise money by

selling new territory in the West, and created a system to divide up the new territory into organized townships

Success of the Articles

–Northwest Ordinance of 1787- Sets up the political systems in the new territories• Bans slavery• Mandates the creation of new states once a

territories population hits 60,000• Establishes provisional governments in the

territories and provides its citizens with Natural Rights

Failures of the ArticlesGeorge Washington’s Letter to James Warren, October 1785The war, as you have very justly observed, has terminated most

advantageously for America, and a fair field is presented to our view; but I confess to you freely, My Dr. Sir, that I do not think we possess wisdom or Justice enough to cultivate it properly. Illiberality, Jealousy, and local policy mix too much in all our public councils for the good government of the Union. In a word, the confederation appears to me to be little more than a shadow without the substance; and Congress a nugatory body, their ordinances being little attended to.

According to Washington, what are the problems facing the new government?

Failures of the Articles

• Congress could not levy taxes- Congress constantly found itself short on money, and could not fulfill promises to Revolutionary War veterans

• Have you heard other examples of the government not fulfilling promises made to veterans?

Failures of the Articles

• No head of state- No president or figure to bring unity to the government

• No enforcement powers- Congress could pass laws and ordinances, but had no way to force states to comply

Shay’s Rebellion (1786)

• Following the end of the Revolutionary War, many veterans found themselves cash-strapped and many lost their property to debt collectors who were also struggling financially

• Many of these same citizens also found themselves paying a slew of taxes and fees to all levels of state governments

• Daniel Shay’s was a veteran of Lexington and Concord that had retired from the army without a pension, and soon found himself in this unfortunate financial position.

Plough Jogger, Massachusets farmer who would join Shay’s Rebellion

• I have been greatly abused, have been obliged to do more than my part in the war, been loaded with class rates, town rates, province rates, Continental rates and all rates ... been pulled and hauled by sheriffs, constables and collectors, and had my cattle sold for less than they were worth ... The great men are going to get all we have and I think it is time for us to rise and put a stop to it, and have no more courts, nor sheriffs, nor collectors nor lawyers.

• What problems does Jogger seem to be facing?

Shay’s Rebellion (1786)

• Shay would soon lead a force of rural Massachusetts farmers and townsfolk's into Massachusetts towns to shut down the courts and end the tax collections

Shay’s Rebellion (1786)

• Thanks to a failure to act, the rebels would soon attack the Springfield Armory where they would be crushed.

• What problems with the new government did Shay’s Rebellion seem to reveal?

Shay’s Rebellion (1786)

• The rebellion would bring more anti-federalists on to the side of the federalists, and the decision would be made to create a new framework for government.

• Imagine you are one of the members selected by a state to discuss the new plans for govenrment. What changes would you make to the Articles of Confederation? What would you keep? Why?