The Articles of Confederation

• America is born! Now what? One nation or 13 states?

• Each state had their government and constitution = a written plan for government

• One thing is for sure... America did NOT a central government with too much power... like a king

• They just fought a war to give the citizens more rights and a say, citizen = official member of a city, state, or nation

• But the states needed to work together to make things run smoothly

• The Continental Congress made something called the Articles of Confederation

• This gave more power to states, and less to the central government

• The states accepted this plan in 1781

• Congress (central gov.) could declare war, make peace treaties and treaties with other nations, print money (currency)

• Congress could NOT set up an army, control trade and of course...?

• make taxes!

The Northwest Territory

• What do we do with the land we won in the Rev War?

• The western land was called the Northwest Territory = land ruled by a national government but doesn't have any representatives in the government (pg. 293)

• Congress passed 2 ordinances = laws

• 1. Land Ordinance of 1785 - explained how land would be measured, divided, and sold

• 2. Northwest Ordinance of 1787 - explained how a territory could become a state, (at least 60k to be a state), slavery illegal in the territory

• Congress also began to force Native Americans to leave so settlers could live there

Problems for the New Nation

• Do you think giving states more power than the main government is a good idea?

• States started printing their own money, they argued about how much each state's money was worth, today we all agree that $5 in California is $5 in New York

• Congress was in debt from the Rev War and couldn't pay, they owed millions to banks and other countries ($15.7 million in debt)

• But Congress could NOT make what?

• Taxes! They had to ask states for money, but couldn't make them pay

• So now what? (pg. 294)

Shays's Rebellion

• In Massachusetts farmers had to pay high taxes to their state

• Farmers also owed money to merchants but many farmers couldn't pay their debts and so they could go to jail or lose their farms

• So now what? Here comes Daniel Shays. What will he do?

• He starts a rebellion! He led about 1,100 farmers in a protest!

• Shays was a soldier in the Rev. War.

• He wanted Mass. to stop taking their farms and give them time to pay.

• They blocked courthouses, broke into jails and freed farmers.

• Shays tried to take weapons belonging to the gov, but Congress couldn't stop them because they didn't have an army! So state militia had to defeat the farmers. (4 died, 20 wounded)

• Shays's Rebellion showed that a weak central government didn't work

• 15 were sentenced to death, but only 2 were executed

• Hancock (governor) pardoned the rest

• GW was worried! He worried that the government wasn't strong enough to protect the people's rights.

• "What security has a man for life, liberty, or property?"

• Many agreed with GW.

• So in Feb. of 1787, Congress wanted to have a special meeting to fix things.

• They invited states to send delegates to Philadelphia to figure out how to change the Articles of Confederation. Stay tuned...