Transcript Why did the Articles of Confederation fail?

Agenda
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Attendance
Review HW
Articles of Confederation notes
“Farmers in Revolt”
Petition to Congress
Objective: To
examine the
weaknesses of the
Articles of
Confederation.
United States of America
Articles of
Confederation
Articles of Confederation
• It was our 1st Constitution: rules under
which a government will operate
• Adopted in 1777, during the American
Revolution and approved in 1781.
• However, it ended up failing
• Why did it fail?
Why did the Articles of Confederation fail?
I. Currency Issues
• The United States did not have a common currency.
• Americans carried money from
the federal government, state
governments, and foreign nations.
• Merchants stopped accepting money from outside of their
own state, causing a lot of money to become worthless.
• This caused an increase in inflation and hurt the economy.
Why did the Articles of Confederation fail?
II. Debt
• Congress could not tax the people directly and depended
on money from the states.
• Therefore, the U.S. was unable to pay its debts!
Examples:
- The U.S. owed money to France, Holland, and Spain for
loans made during the Revolutionary War.
- The U.S. had not paid many of their own soldiers!
Why did the Articles of Confederation fail?
III. International and Domestic Problems
• The U.S. lacked the
military power to defend
itself against Great
Britain and Spain.
•Congress couldn’t draft
troops. Dependent on
states to contribute.
Example:
- Connecticut and
Virginia almost went to
war over land claims!
• States acted as
individual countries and
seldom agreed.
Why did the Articles of Confederation fail?
Courts (Judicial Branch)
• The nation lacked a
national court system.
•Could not resolve issues
between states
Supreme Court
Why did the Articles of Confederation fail?
President (Executive Branch)
• The nation did not have a
President, or Chief Executive.
•There was no one to lead the
country or make tough
decisions in times of crisis.
White House
Why did the Articles of Confederation fail?
Congress (Legislative Branch)
• Congress had one house-unicameral
• Laws were difficult to pass, needing
the approval of nine states.
• Congress was responsible to the states,
not the people.
• Congress had no power to collect
taxes, regulate trade, coin money, or
establish a military.
•To amend(change) the Articles, all
states had to agree.
Things it did well
• Under the Articles some things did go well
– Won the Revolutionary War and
– Negotiated a peace treaty
– They established post offices
– Set up rules for settling the new territoriesNorthwest Ordinance of 1787.
Discontent Under the Articles of
Confederation
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Reference “Indians/Blacks in the Revolution,” “Farmers in Revolt,”
and the associated questions that you answered. Then, using this
info create an infographic that shows how the following groups
were discontented (unhappy) under the Articles of Confederation:
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Poor Whites
Farmers
Black Slaves
Native Americans
Veterans
Reference your reading and find out why/write down why each
group was unhappy
Plan out your infographic, be creative!
Make your infographic. These will be turned in next class.
What’s an infographic?
• Info: Information
• Graph: Draw/Picture