Transcript Ch. 7: A More Perfect Union 1777-1790

CH. 7: A MORE PERFECT UNION
1777-1790
 Why It Matters: When
the American colonies
broke their political ties
with Great Britain, they
faced the task of forming
independent governments
at both the state and
national levels. In 1788 the
Constitution became the
official plan of American
government.
 The Impact Today:
Created to meet the
needs of a changing nation,
the Constitution has been
the fundamental law of the
United States for more
than 200 years. It has
served as a model for
many constitutions all
over the world.
SECTION 1: THE ARTICLES OF
CONFEDERATION PGS. 192-193
 Main Idea: The leaders of the
new United States worked to
decline the powers of
government.
 Key Terms:
 Constitution
 Bicameral
 Republic
 Petition
 Ordinance
 Depreciate
THIRTEEN INDEPENDENT STATES
 Americans needed to establish their own government and gain
Britain’s respect. This brought new challenges. The British believed
the new government was weak and ineffective.
 States organized their governments and adopted their own state
constitutions. The writers wanted to prevent abuses of power
and also wanted to keep power in the hands of the people.
 State constitutions limited the power of the governor to avoid
giving one ruler too much power. Pennsylvania replaced the office
of governor with an elected council of twelve members.
 Wanted to keep state power and not central power
THIRTEEN INDEPENDENT STATES
States divided functions between the governor and
the legislature.
 1. The legislature was the more powerful branch because
of the limited powers of the governor.
 Most states had a bicameral, or two-house legislature. This
further divided the power.
 2. Legislatures were popularly elected and elections were
frequent.
 State legislatures had many disagreements about how to
make taxes fair.
VOTING RIGHTS
 In most states only very select few could vote:
 White males who were 21 years of age
 They also had to either be property owners or pay a certain
amount of taxes.
 In some states free African American males could vote.
FORMING A REPUBLIC PGS. 193-195
Americans agreed that the country should be a
republic, which is a government with elected
representatives.
When they could not agree on was the origin and
powers of the new republic.
FORMING A REPUBLIC
 At first most Americans favored a weak central government with the
powers being given to the states to function independently
 Central government would have the power to wage war and handle
relations with other countries.
ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION
 In 1777 the Articles of Confederation were adopted to provide for a
central government.
 At the time the country needed a central government to fight the war
against Britain.
 The Articles were America’s first constitution.
 States gave up little of their power.
 Each state kept “its sovereignty, freedom, and independence.”
ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION
 Under the Articles of Confederation, the government, which
was the Confederation Congress, has the authority to:
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1. conduct foreign affairs
2. maintain armed forces
3. borrow money
4. issue currency
 The government did not have the authority to:
1. regulate trade
2. force citizens to join the army
3. impose taxes
ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION
 The government did not
have a chief executive.
 Each state had one vote
in Congress.
 State population did not
matter, although larger,
more populated states
believed that they
should have more votes.
CONFEDERACY
 States also argued about whether or not they claimed land in the West.
 Maryland refused to ratify the Articles of Confederation until states
abandoned their land claims.
 Finally all 13 states approved the Articles on March 1, 1781.
 The Confederacy formally became the government of the United States.
FORMING A REPUBLIC
The Confederation government had its weaknesses,
but it won Americans their independence, expanded
foreign trade, and provided for new states in the
West.
 1. It had limited authority
 2. It could not pass a law unless 9 states voted for it.
 3. To change the Articles of Confederation, all 13 states had
to give consent. It was difficult therefore, for Congress to
pass laws when there was any opposition.
NEW LAND POLICIES
 The Articles of Confederation had no provision for adding new states.
 Congress realized it had to extend its authority over the frontier and
bring order and stability to the territory where western settlers
reached almost 120,000 by the 1790s.
 The Western Ordinances had a large impact on Western expansion and
development of the United States.
NEW LAND POLICIES
In 1784 Congress
divided the Western
territory into selfgoverning districts.
When the number of
people in a district
reached the
population of the
smallest existing state,
that district could
apply for statehood.
ORDINANCE
 In 1785 the Confederation
Congress established a new law
that divided the Western
territories into larger townships
and smaller sections.
 Each smaller section would be
sold at auction for at least $1
an acre. This was called the
Ordinance of 1785.
 Land speculators bought large
pieces of land cheaply.
 HOW MUCH DOES IT COST
FOR AN ACRE TODAY?
 Location, location, location is
the main factor when
determining price of real estate.
An acre of land in a remote
area can cost between $5000.
and $10,000. However in a
more commercialized area
where building is in bloom, an
acre can cost $45,000. to
$60,000. Remember the
location is the main factor.
NEW LAND POLICIES
 Another ordinance passed in 1787 was the Northwest Ordinance.
– 1. It created a Northwest Territory out of the lands north of the Ohio
River and east of the Mississippi River.
– 2. It divided the lands into 3 to 5 smaller territories.
– 3. It stated that when the population of a territory reached 60,000
citizens, that the territory could apply for statehood. Each new state
would enter as an equal to the original 13 states.
– 4. It included a bill of rights to protect the settlers that guaranteed
freedom of religion and trial by jury. Neither slavery nor involuntary
servitude were permitted in the new territories.
TROUBLE ON TWO FRONTS
 The Confederate government had trouble with finances, and with
Britain and Spain over landholdings and trade.
 Many Americans felt the country needed a stronger government to
better with the problems.
 The government had a large debt from the war.
 Congress had borrowed money from American citizens and foreign
governments.
 It owed soldiers their wages. But because Congress had no power to
tax, it did not have a way to raise revenue and pay off this debt.
TROUBLE ON TWO FRONTS PGS.
197-198
 Money was almost worthless.
 The paper money printed during the Revolutionary War had depreciated,
or fallen in value, while food prices and other goods soared.
 In Boston, for example, high prices led to food riots. Because Congress had
no power to tax, it and the states issued paper money.
 Because there were so many bills in circulation, the value of money fell.
 No gold or silver backed these bills.
 Many believed that the central government needed to issue a stronger
banking system and national currency.
MO MONEY MO PRA’LEMZ
 To help solve the financial problems,
the Confederacy created a
department of finance.
 Robert Morris, a Philadelphia
merchant, headed the department.
 Morris proposed a plan that called
for collecting a 5% tax on imported
goods to help pay off the national
debt.
 Because of Rhode Island’s
opposition, the measure did not
pass.
 A second effort also failed 5 years
later.
 The country’s financial situation
worsened.
THIS IS MY LAND, THIS IS NOT
YOUR LAND!
 The problem with Britain concerned landholdings and trade.
– 1. British troops remained in several strategic forts in the Great
Lakes Region even though Britain had promised to withdraw all
troops under the Treaty of Paris.
– 2. British merchants closed Americans out of the West Indies and
other profitable British markets.
– 3. John Adams went to London in 1785 to discuss these issues. The
British claimed that because Americans had not paid Loyalists for
the property taken from them during the war, as agreed to under
the Treaty of Paris, they were not willing to talk. Congress
recommended payment, but the states refused.
TENSION WITH SPAIN
 The problems with Spain were worse than those with
England.
 1. Spain closed the lower Mississippi River to American
shipping in 1784 in hopes of halting American expansion into
their territory of Spanish Florida and lands west of the
Mississippi River.
 2. A compromise was reached with an agreement in 1786
that limited American shipping on the Mississippi. In return for
this, Spain promised to accept the border between Georgia
and Spanish Florida proposed by the Americans.
Representatives from the South rejected the agreement
because it did not include the right to use the Mississippi
River.