Articles of Confederation
Britain Is Gone…What Now?
Articles of Confederation
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The Declaration of Independence told the
world colonists were separating from
England and why, but it did not declare
America to be a single country.
 The 13 colonies in fact, became 13
separate countries each with its own
government and laws.
 They called themselves states.
Articles of Confederation
At the time, the idea of separate
independent states appealed to most
Americans.
 The citizens of South Carolina, for
example, felt they had little in common
with the citizens of Connecticut.
 A few Americans, however, wanted to
create a large central government of
their own.
Articles of Confederation
Although each state was well prepared and
eager to govern itself, a state could not do
some things on its own.

It could not raise and maintain a large army. The
war against Great Britain could never have been
won by 13 small state armies. A single, strong
army under central control was necessary.
For this reason, the Second Continental
Congress made plans for “a firm league of
friendship” among the states.
Pair Share


At the end of the Revolutionary War how did
most people think of their citizenship?
Instead of being a single nation what did the
states agree to?
Articles of Confederation
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The Articles of Confederation were the 1st
plan of government for the United States.
The Articles of Confederation did not unite
the states into a single country. It established
a system for cooperation among
independent states.
The Articles set up a (Legislative Branch) a
one-house legislature in which each stare
had one vote.
Articles of Confederation

Because of their bad experience with the
British government, the states refused to
let Congress have two important powers.
 It had no power to tax and no power to
enforce its laws.
 The Articles allowed the Congress to
ask the states for money, but not to
demand it.
Weaknesses of
the Articles of Confederation

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By 1781 all 13 states had ratified or
approved the Articles of Confederation.
Within the next few years it became clear
that the Articles had some serious
problems.
Weaknesses of
the Articles of Confederation
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To begin with, the Congress could not pass a
law unless 9 states voted in favor of it. This
made it very difficult for the Congress to
accomplish anything.
Even when the Congress managed to pass
laws, it could not enforce them.
Unlike the state Constitutions, the Articles did
not provide for a president or for courts. If a
state decided to ignore a law, the Congress
could do nothing.
Weaknesses of
the Articles of Confederation
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Unable to collect taxes the Congress had to
borrow money to pay for the war against
Britain.
The Congress also allowed the states to fall
into debt. Doing business was difficult during
the war against Britain. To make up for lost
income each state placed heavy taxes on
goods from other states and countries.
Some foreign countries refused to trade
with the American States.
Pair Share




What was the first plan of government for the
United States?
What is the word that means “to approve?”
In the Congress set up by the Articles of
Confederation how many votes did each
state have?
List 5 weaknesses of the government under
the Articles of Confederation.
Shays Rebellion

In 1786, a Massachusetts citizen named
Daniel Shays had fallen into debt because
of heavy state taxes.

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Now the courts were threatening to take his
farm away as payment for his debts.
He felt the state had no right to punish him for
a problem the state had created.
Shay's Mob
In
Possession
Of A
Courthouse
January 1884
Shays Rebellion

A group of 1,200 farmers, led by
Shays, marched on federal
(U.S.) buildings in Springfield.
 Fearing a riot, the governor
ordered state troops to break
up the march.
 Shays and his followers were
defeated, but word of the
rebellion spread.
Call for a Convention

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It had been clear for some time that the
states needed a stronger central
government.
In 1787, 12 of the states sent delegates to
a meeting in Philadelphia.

Their purpose was to change
the Articles of Confederation.
At the time, no one realized
how sweeping those changes
would be.
Pair Share

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What was the event that caused people to
realize that the Articles of Confederation were
too weak?
What city hosted the delegates who were
supposed to revise the Articles of
Confederation?