Key Events

1776 Many newAmerican stateswriteconstitutions.

.. 1787, ConstitutionalConvention cre-ates a new planof government.

.. ,.1791 ' After threefourths of statesapprove it, theBill of Rightsgoes into effect.

, .I Checkpoint

List one characteristic of the newstate governments.

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92 Unit 2 Chapter7 Section 1

Chapter 7

Creating the Constitution (1776-1790)

:'JNhat You Will Learn .'

Weaknesses in the Articles of Confederation led to the drafting ofa new constitution for the nation. After much debate, the statesapproved the Constitution, but many insisted that a bill of rightsbe added.

Chapter 7 Focus QuestionAs you read this chapter, keep this question in mind: How did theU.S. Constitution overcome the weaknesses of the Articles ofConfederation and provide for the organization of the newgovernment?

Section 1Governing a New Nation

Section 1 Focus QuestionWhat were major successes and failures of the government underthe Articles of Confederation? To begin answering this question,• Learn about the new state constitutions.• Learn about the Articles of Confederation.• Find out about laws for settling new lands in the west.• Understand the problems of the Articles of Confederation.

Section 1 Summary

Americans created new state and national governments based onthe principles of the American Revolution. Problems under theArticles of Confederation led to calls for a stronger nationalgovernment.

Government by the StatesMany of the former colonies wrote new state constitutions. Aconstitution is a document stating the rules under which govern-ment will operate. Most states minimized the power of stategovernors because colonial governors had abused their power.Instead, most power was given to the state legislature, thelawmaking body elected by the people.

The new state constitutions allowed more people to vote. Inmost states, white men 21 years or older could vote if they ownedsome property, but women and African Americans were notallowed to vote. Virginia was the first state to have a bill of rights,which is a list of essential freedoms that the government isrequired to respect. rI

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The Articles of ConfederationThe Continental Congress created the Articles of Confederation in1777.This plan created a new national government for the UnitedStates with restricted powers.

The national government had a single branch, a one-houselegislature called Congress, which had the power to pass laws,deal with foreign nations and Native Americans, make war andpeace, coin or borrow money, and run a post office. Congress wasnot given the power to collect taxes or to interfere with tradebetween the states. All states were equal, and most powerremained in the hands of the states. aSettling the Western LandsThe Land Ordinance of 1785 created a way for national lands tobe sold to the public. It divided public western lands into squaretownships of six miles on each side. This would result in a grid ofsquares. Within each township there would also be a grid, onemile on each side. Each township had one section that was setaside to support schools. This reflected the belief of the nation'sleaders that democracy depended on education.

A law called the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 applied to theterritory north of the Ohio River. It guaranteed basic rights tosettlers, outlawed slavery, and established a process for creatingnew states in the territory. Eventually, five states would be settledin the Northwest Territory. aGrowing ProblemsUnder the Articles of Confederation, the United States won itsindependence, negotiated a peace treaty with Britain, and createdrules for settling new territories. There were also problems: traderivalries and taxation between states hurt the economy, thenational government was too weak to stop public unrest, and ithad little money because it could not collect taxes.

During the mid-1780s, economic hard times in Massachusettscaused many farmers to lose their land because they could notpay their taxes. In Shays' Rebellion, a group of Massachusettsfarmers rose up against the state in protest. The rebellion failed,but it led to calls for a stronger national government. aCheck Your Pr:ogress1. Why were the state and national governments' powers

limited?

2. List two problems with the national government under theArticles of Confederation.

'" Checkpoint

List two powers of the nationalgovernment created by the Articlesof Confederation.

,,( Checkpoint

Name two laws that related to thesettling of western lands.

,/ Checkpoint

List two successes of the nationalgovernment created by the Articlesof Confederation.

Unit 2 Chapter7 Section 1 93

Section 1 Notetaking Study Guide

Question to Think.About As you read Section 1 in your textbook and take notes,keep this section focus question in mind: What were major successes and failures of thegovernment under the Articles of Confederation?

~ Use these charts to record key information from the section. Some of the informationhas been filled in to get you started.

. ,, Government .by the :States

Main Characteristics ofthe State Governments

State governors: hadpower

Voting:people were allowed to vote

Individual rights: protected inseveral states'of

Problems the Colonists hadwith Colonial Government

Colonial governors: Mostcolonists were unhappy with thegovernors appointed by theBritish Crown,

Parliament: Parliament, whichwas part of the centralgovernment, exerted powerover the elected_______ Iegislatures.

National Government Under the Articles of Confederation

lVIainCharacteristics,• No executive or branch of government• One legislative branch, called . with each state having one vote• out of 13 states had to approve laws• Legislative power limited to:

•••••

Strengths, '

, .

• Won from Britain and negotiated peace treaty-,he andthe _

established rules for settling new lands and creating new states.

Weaknesses• No authority to regulate or collect _- Could not protect land from foreign occupation• Could not stop public unrest as shown in _

r Refer to this page to answer the Chapter 7 Focus Question on page 102.

94 Unit 2 Chapter 7 Section 1