Transcript A o C - Dickinson ISD

Articles of Confederation
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© Karalynn Tyler 2015
Out with the old government…
Thomas Jefferson outline a list of
crimes the King of England had
committed against the colonists in
the Declaration of Independence.
Colonists had been forced to follow
laws that were written and enforced
by a far away government controlled
by a King who didn’t care about the
needs or rights of his colonial
subjects. Once they declared
independence, the colonists still had
But when the Declaration of Independence
to fight and win the Revolutionary
was signed and the colonies broke away from
War before they were truly free
the British monarchy, they knew they had to
from British authority.
have some sort of governing body to unite the
13 states, protect our nation’s borders, and
make sure the other countries of the world
took us seriously. The question was, what will
the new government actually look like?
© Karalynn Tyler 2015
The Articles of Confederation
The Continental Congress continued to meet
after the Declaration of Independence had
been signed. They created an outline for the
government they wanted to replace King
George III. The first plan for government was
called the Articles of Confederation.
Raise an army & declare war.
Make treaties with other
countries.
Articles of Confederation
“A Firm League of Friendship”
 First document for U.S.
Government.
 13 sovereign &
independent states that
cooperated for common
purposes
 Governed by a
congress where each
state got 1 vote.
Written in 1777
Ratified in 1781
Print money & run postal system
These are the only powers the central government had under the Articles
of Confederation. The rest of the powers belonged to each of the 13
individual state governments.
© Karalynn Tyler 2015
Why was government given
so little power?
The colonies were still
fighting to get rid of a big
powerful government.
They were afraid of
“trading one tyranny for
another.”
1776
Declaration of
Independence is signed.
Continental Congress
must create a national
government to unite the
13 colonies.
1777
Articles of
Confederation
written
1781
Revolutionary War ended
and 13 Colonies became the
United States of America
governed by the Articles of
Confederation.
1786
1787
Congress called a
convention to revise or
replace the Articles of
Confederation.
© Karalynn Tyler 2015
Too Many Weaknesses
While a government that only loosely united the 13
States seemed like the best option, there were many
problems with the Articles of Confederation.
No agreements
between states.
No Executive Power
No respect for trade or
commerce.
No power to tax.
Weak central government.
© Karalynn Tyler 2015
Tough Times
After the Revolutionary War, Britain
would no longer trade with the United
States. This plunged the new country
into massive debt. The federal
government did not have the power to
pass taxes in order to pay off the debt.
Each state began printing its own
money. Thirteen different currencies
caused confusion. Nobody knew what
each bill was truly worth. The price of
goods throughout the colonies went sky
high.
The government couldn’t repay the
debt they owed to countries that lent
them money during the war. They also
could not pay the colonial troops that
had left their farms and businesses to
fight the British.
Federal government couldn’t tax.
States printed their own money.
War veterans were not getting
paid.
© Karalynn Tyler 2015
Farmers Struggle
Taxes were raised on farmland.
Farmers couldn’t afford to pay the high taxes.
Former soldiers were jailed and lost
their farms.
In spring of 1786 the state of
Massachusetts raised taxes
on land to raise money. The
high taxes impacted farmers
the most. Many of these
farmers had left their farms
during the war to fight in the
Continental Army. They still
had not been paid for being
soldiers and they did not
make money on their farms
while they were fighting.
When they could not pay the
taxes, the state started
taking their land away. Some
were put in jail and their
families had to pay to get
them out.
© Karalynn Tyler 2015
Shays’ Rebellion
When peaceful protests to the Massachusetts’
legislature failed, farmers were fed up. War
hero Daniel Shays organized a rebellion of
nearly 1600 farmers against the courts and
other government buildings around the state.
The government struggled to stop the rebellion
and leaders were afraid the rebellion would
spread.
Massachusetts
Where farmers
rebelled against the
government.
Daniel Shays
War veteran and
farmer who led the
rebellion in 1786.
Farmers asked the government
for help but were refused.
Shays led farmers in attacks on
courthouses and the arsenal.
The government struggled to
put down the rebellion.
© Karalynn Tyler 2015
A Call for a Convention
Shays’ Rebellion alarmed Congress. The
Articles of Confederation gave the Federal
Government no power to intervene because it
was a state issue. Congress decided a
convention was needed to consider the
situation the new country was facing. Each
state was invited to send delegates to a
convention in Philadelphia. The original
purpose was to simply make revisions to the
Articles of Confederation.
The original plan was to
revise the Articles.
13 separate states
needed a stronger
central government
to unite them.
However, leaders like George Washington,
Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison
wanted to make the federal government
stronger and it was decided the Articles of
Confederation should be completely replaced..
1776
Declaration of
Independence is signed.
Continental Congress
must create a national
government to unite the
13 colonies.
1777
Articles of
Confederation
written
1781
Revolutionary War ended
and 13 Colonies became the
United States of America
governed by the Articles of
Confederation.
1786
Shays’
Rebellion
1787
Congress called a
convention to revise or
replace the Articles of
Confederation.
© Karalynn Tyler 2015