Transcript Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation

What Does This Mean?
“…it has been said
that democracy is
the worst form of
government except
for all those other
forms that have
been tried from time
to time.”
Articles of
Confederation
First Constitution of the United
States
June 12, 1776
 Committee of 13 set up by Second
Continental Congress
 Purpose: Draft a constitution to secure
freedom, sovereignty and independence
 Written primarily by John Dickinson of
Delaware
 “Confederation of the United States of
America”
Writing of Articles of
Confederation
 Initially Dickinson wanted national
government to be able to:
 Control western lands disputes
 Ensure equal representation for the
states
 Levy taxes
Articles of Confederation
 States feared powerful central
government
 States given as much independence as
possible
 Limited powers of central government
Articles of
Confederation
Contained:
Preamble
13 articles
Conclusion
 Signature areas
First Constitution of
the United States
March 1, 1781 to
June 21, 1788
•Articles of
Confederation
 Provided a blanket
acceptance for Canada
to become part of the
United States
 Congressional
representation based on
population of a state
 Each state had one vote
in Congress
Problems with Ratification
 It took almost 5 years to ratify
 Control of western land debate
 Created loose confederation of
independent states
 Limited powers to the central government
Weaknesses of Articles:
Weak National
Government
 Request donations from the states to raise
armed forces and control western territories
 Judicial was in each state and honored by
each other
 Only judicial power Congress had was to
mediate between states
 Donations by states based on value of land
 Any amendment to the Articles of
Confederation required all states to approve it
Weaknesses of the Articles
of Confederation
States given most powers; few powers given to the national
government
 Congress elected by the
state legislatures
 Laws difficult to pass
(approval 9 out of 13
states required)
 Congress given no power
to collect taxes
 Congress given no power
to regulate trade
 Congress given no power
to coin money
 Congress given no power
to establish armed
forces—each state had
its own troops
 No president or executive
branch
 No system of national
courts
Weaknesses: States
Controlled Most of Power
 Central government did not have sufficient
authority
 States could refuse to give the government the
money
 States had tax and trade wars between each
other
 Government could not pay off debts from the
American Revolution or pay the soldiers who
fought in it or people who gave supplies
Illustration of Weaknesses
 Shay’s Rebellion
 Uprising in western
Massachusetts in 1786
and 1787 by poor
farmers led by Daniel
Shay
 Causes: taxes on land,
legal costs
 Economic depression
after the Revolutionary
War
 Weak federal
government could not
raise an army to assist
Shay’s Rebellion
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
Demands:
Laws to protect farmers
Dissolving the court of common appeals
Reduction of taxes
Shay and his men marched into Springfield,
Massachusetts to seize a federal arsenal
 Militia under General Benjamin Lincoln stopped them
 Most of the men were pardoned a year later
 Forced political leaders to make laws that could effectively
govern the nation
Barbary Pirates
 Late 1700s nations paid tribute to the
pirates of North Africa to ensure
merchant shipping without attacks
 Pirates had been in area since the
Crusades: attacked ports, captured
people for slavery and looted merchant
ships
Barbary Pirates
 European nations worked out treaties
with Arab rulers who sponsored pirates
 Morocco, Algeria, Tunis and Tripoli
 March 1786 Thomas Jefferson,
ambassador to France and John Adams,
ambassador to Great Britain met with
ruler in Tripoli to settle the issue
Barbary Pirates
 U.S. paid tribute until 1800 to free
captured Americans
 First Barbary War 1801-1805: Navy ship
Philadelphia sent to Tripoli and was
captured
 LT Stephen Decatur sailed into Tripoli on
a captured ship to recapture Philadelphia
and succeeded
 CO of Philadelphia, CAPT William
Bainbridge rescued
Barbary Pirates
 1805: To the Shores of Tripoli
 Navy and Marines under LT Presley
O’Bannon Battle of Derna
 Attacked Tripoli captured the fort
 New ruler presented O’Bannon with a
“Marmaluke” sword, which is named after
African warriors
 Sword used with the Marine Dress
Uniform is similar
 Treaty signed 1806
Marine Dress Sword
Barbary Pirates
 Second Barbary War 1815
 Between U.S. and Algiers
 Stephen Decatur and William Bainbridge
sent a fleet of 10 vessels and captured
Algerian ships
 Algerian ruler signed a treaty
 Helped U.S. with identity on the
international level and supported a need
for a strong navy, army and national
government
Result of Articles of
Confederation Failures
 February 21, 1787, Congress called for a
Constitutional Convention to revise the articles
 Between May and September, 1787, the
convention wrote the Constitution of the United
States, which retained some features of the
Articles, but the major difference was a strong
central government with 3 branches, including
a Congress with two houses
 Constitution was ratified on September 17,
1787