Articles of Confederation
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First constitution or written plan for government for the U.S.
Called for a confederation or loose alliance of independent states.
- Americans are fearful of powerful central government – they just got rid of a king, they don’t need another
one
- Most of the power remains in the hands of the state
Under the Articles there is ONE branch of government – a legislative branch called Congress
- The purpose of the a legislature is to make laws
- Congress is made up of representative (aka delegates) from each of the 13 states
- Congress is supposed to work together to make laws for the new country
Under the Articles there is NO executive branch: don’t want one person to have too much power (like a king).
Unfortunately, without someone in charge there is nobody to run things and enforce the laws
Under the Articles there is NO federal court system: this is a problem because when states argue over something, like who
owns land, there is nobody to resolve the dispute.
Powers Congress DID have: Declare war, appoint military officers
Powers Congress DID NOT have: power to tax, power to control trade among the states
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Lawmaking: Congress could make laws but only if 9 of 13 states agreed. They want to make sure everybody
likes the law but it makes the law making process very slow.
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Economics: Congress could not tax but the state governments could, each state also makes its own trade laws
and coins their own currency. With so many different laws and different types of money it is very difficult for
the states to trade with one another.
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Protection: Since Congress can’t tax it has no money to pay off debts or to support a military, each state was
allowed to form and maintain their own militia
Problems the new nation faced:
Debt: Congress can’t tax so they can’t pay off debt or support a military, Congress also does not have the ability to put a
tariff on imported items so people keep buying foreign made products and U.S. businesses fail
Land: Congress successfully creates the Land Ordinance of 1785 to organize the North West Territory and help the
country grow
Foreign nations: Since the US has no military because Congress can’t tax and get money to support one, foreign nations
like Spain and Britain pick on the U.S.
- Spain does not let U.S. Mississippi River and Port of New Orleans for trade
- Britain refuses to abandon their forts in the Ohio River Valley
Shays’ Rebellion: Angry farmers rebel against Massachusetts state government for foreclosing on their farms. Congress
has no military and can’t stop the rebellion. **This event shows many Americans that the Articles are TOO weak and
need to be fixed.**
Following Shays’ Rebellion, delegates from the 13 states will meet in Philadelphia to write a new plan for government
which will be called the United States Constitution.