Articles of
Confederation
-orFear of Tyranny and The
Failure of the Confederation
The Story So Far…
zColumbus had found the way to
America
zFrance, Spain, and Great Britain sent
colonists
zTwo centuries went by. Great Britain
claimed all of North America east of
the Mississippi River. It had thirteen
colonies.
zThe people who lived in the thirteen
colonies paid taxes to Great Britain.
Great Britain told them what to do.
zSoon the colonists felt that Great
Britain made them pay too many
taxes. It did not let them trade freely.
The Story So Far…cont
zThe colonists wanted
independence from Great
Britain.
zThey began to fight. This war
is called the American
Revolutionary War.
Which leads to United States
establishing the
Main Points of the Articles
zAmerican fears which ensured the
ineffectiveness of any national
government created at the time
zInherent weaknesses of structure of the
United States' first national government
zThe few successes of the Articles and
their legacy
zThe domestic problems facing the
Confederation Government
zThe inability of the Confederation
Government to rectify these problems
What are the Articles?
z They combined the colonies of the
American Revolutionary War into a
loose confederation.
z The second Continental Congress
adopted the Articles on November 15,
1777, after 16 months of debate.
z The Articles then languished for
another three years before ratification
was completed on March 1, 1781.
z The Articles were replaced by the
United States Constitution on May 23,
1788, when the 9th state, Maryland,
ratified the Constitution.
What were American’s Fearful of
in 1781?
z It was cautious about
giving new government
powers it had just denied
Parliament
z Too strong of a Central
Government (e.g. King)
Structure (these are poor)
zOne house congress - equal
(state) representation results in
small state dominance and large
state embitterment
z9-4 vote to pass legislation
results in few bills passing into
law/sectionalism stifles
legislation
zUnanimous vote to amend
Articles makes needed
adjustments impossible
zNo executive branch
Two Major Problems
zNo power to regulate
commerce – resulted in
conflicts between states.
zCould not enforce its taxcollection program.
More Major Problems
zCongress could only request money
from the states
zThe states did not generally comply
with the requests in full, leaving the
confederation chronically short of
funds.
zThe states and the national
congress had both incurred debts
during the war, and paying
congressional debts became a
major issue.
Even More Problems
zCongress was limited on regulating
military and monetary affairs
– no mechanism to ensure states
complied with requests for troops or
revenue
Major Weaknesses
zNo enforcement of own laws/forced
to depend on state enforcement
zNo leadership leaves United States
with no singular direction
zNo national courts
zArbitration of state problems - only
when both states accept.
trade disputes unsettled - river
navigation wars
Overall Weaknesses
z Difficult for the government to raise
money through taxes and duties
z A farmers’ revolt in Massachusetts
against the collection of state taxes
(Shay’s Rebellion)
–
Reminded many Americans the national
government was too weak
z States refusing to honor the Treaty of
Paris
z Worthless paper money printed by
many states
z States restricting trade with one
another
z
Successes and Legacy
Articles of Confederation provided stability
during the American Revolutionary War years.
z The Treaty of Paris (1783)
z The Land Ordinance of 1785
– ownership provisions used throughout later
American expansion
– provided for surveying and selling western
lands
separated into townships and sectional plots
for sale (640 acres)
– land sales allotted to establish public
education
criteria for statehood established
z Northwest Ordinance 1787
– calls for the admission of no more than 5
states
– outlaws slavery in the new territories
The Demise
z Annapolis Convention (1786)
– Principle purpose: Set to settle
issue of interstate commerce.
– Only 5 states showed up
– Alexander Hamilton gained a
commitment to call upon Congress
to summon a convention the next
year in Philadelphia.
– The purpose would be to overhaul
the Articles of Confederation.