Transcript The Articles of Confederation

The Articles of
Confederation
AMERICAN GOVERNMENT
The Articles
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The Articles of Confederation was the first constitution of the United States
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The Articles of Confederation was officially ratified in 1781 and outlined how the
government of the United States was supposed to run
During the early history of our country the United States was a
confederacy
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A confederacy is a group of states that work together towards a common goal
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This, however, was an extremely difficult task as this new country was extremely
divided
Powers
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The Articles of Confederation allowed for:
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all states to retain their sovereignty
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States to retain every power, jurisdiction, and right, which is not by expressly
delegated by the Articles of Confederation
Each state is also given only 1 vote per issue in Congress
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In order for an issue to pass through the Congress, a unanimous vote was
required
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This clause made it extremely difficult for Congress to make any changes to the
Articles of Confederation or to pass any legislation
Central Power
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The Articles of Confederation provided for no executive power in the
government
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Why?
Voting issues and a lack of a strong central government lead to many
issues in the country
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It was almost impossible to raise funds for the Revolutionary War so that troops
could be paid and supplies could be purchased
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It was also almost impossible to require the conscription of troops to fight the
war
Weakness
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The weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation started to wear upon
many in the country
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It was because of these weaknesses that politicians such as James
Madison and Alexander Hamilton began to secretly work on a new
government
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This act was treasonous as it was subversive to the already established
American Government
A Rebellion
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Shays’ Rebellion
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Shays’ Rebellion was a series of armed attacks on courthouses to prevent
judges from foreclosing on farms
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Due to the weakness of the Articles of Confederation, neither the Congress nor
the states were able to raise a militia to stop the violence
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A paid force had to be raised in order to stop Shay and his men
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These attacks further demonstrated the ineffectiveness of the ARticles