The Articles of

Confederation

After the signing of the

Declaration of

Independence in 1776,

it was important that a

plan for keeping the

colonies united be

passed.

What is a Confederacy?

A loose union of independent

states.

The Article of Confederation●In 1777 the Articles

were proposed.

●The states wanted a

"league of friendship"

among 13

independent states

rather than a strong

national government.

●By March 1781, all 13

states ratified, or

approved, the Articles.

Government Under the Articles

●1)A unicameral, or one chamber, Congress where

each state had one vote regardless of size or

population. Every state legislature elected its

representative.

●2)It did not set up an Executive Branch, or president.

Nor did it set up a federal court system.

●3)Congress only had the powers expressed in the

Articles. All other powers remained with the

independent states.

Government Under the ArticlesCongress could:

●Borrow or request money from the states.

●Declare war and peace.

●Maintain an army and navy.

●Enter into treaties.

●Regulate affairs with Native Americans.

●Establish post offices.

●Decide certain disputes among the states.

Government Under the ArticlesCongress could not:

●Levy or collect taxes.

●Regulate trade.

●Force anyone to abide by the law.

●Pass laws without approval of 9 of 13

states.

●Amend the Articles without the consent of

all 13 states.

●Establish an executive or judicial branch.

The Articles created a weak

national government.

Did you know?

Each state had its own Army, and

nine states had a Navy under the

Articles.

Achievements under the Articles

●Congress established a fair policy for

development of lands west of the Appalachian,

yielding all claims of these territories to the central

government.

●Land ordinances, such as the Northwest

Ordinance of 1787, set a principle for the

territories to be made states.

●Allowed for a treaty to be signed with Great Britain

in 1783.

The Need for a Stronger

GovernmentThe federal government could not

coordinate the actions of the states.

●1)Quarrels over boundaries.

●2)States were dealing directly with foreign

nations.

●3)The government had incurred a large

debt from the Revolutionary War and had

no means to raise money to pay it off.

●4)An economic depression set in.

Shays’ RebellionIn 1787 economic

trouble had led to many

farmers unable to pay

their mortgages so they

lost their land or were

imprisoned in Western

Massachusetts. Several

hundred angry farmer

armed with pitchforks

marched on the

Springfield arsenal to

get weapons.

Shays’ Rebellion

Led by Revolution Capt.

Daniel Shays, they

wanted to prevent the

courts from taking their

land away and to force

the state to pass laws to

help them.

Shays’ Rebellion

The Massachusetts

militia put down the

rebellion but the

national

government was

powerless. This

frightened American

leaders.

Shays’s Rebellion

Henry Knox, later the nation’s first secretary of war echoed a

growing number of Americans, ready to agree to a stronger

government, in a letter to George Washington:

“This dreadful situation has alarmed every man of principle and

property in New England. People wake as from a dream and ask

what has been the cause of our delusion. What will give us

security against the violence of lawless men? Our government

must be changed, or altered to secure our lives and property.”

A convention is called in

Philadelphia in May 1787.●The Philadelphia

convention was held for

"the sole and express

purpose of revising the

Articles of Confederation.”

●This sets the stage for a

radical change in

American government that

was nothing short of a

miracle.