Transcript Accomplishments under the Articles of Confederation

The U.S. Government
under the Articles of
Confederation
Why would this time period be
called “The Critical Period”?
Accomplishments under the
Articles of Confederation
1781 - 1789
1.) Signed the Treaty of Paris - 1783
• Terms very favorable to the US
• US negotiators John Adams, Benjamin
Franklin, and John Jay did very well
considering they had no experience
negotiating treaties
2.) Kept the 13 states together
• Government was not a threat to states’
powers
• Stayed as the “United States” long enough to
realize the importance of unity
3.) The Land Ordinance of 1785
• Planned for orderly expansion into the
territory west of the Appalachian Mountains
• Money raised from sale of land would help
fund government programs and the
repayment of debt
Land Ordinance of 1785
4.) Northwest Ordinance - 1787
• Planned for establishment of government in
the territories
• Expanded basic democratic rights into the
Northwest – Congress would guarantee trial by
jury, freedom of speech, press, no slavery
• Set process for territory to become a state
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5,000 voting males, organize territorial government
(governor, legislature, non-voting representative to Congress)
Prepare a constitution that must be approved by Congress
Total population 60,000 people – recognized as a state
No special privileges for original 13 states
Problems under the Articles of
Confederation
Why couldn’t the government of the
Articles of Confederation solve
the new nation’s problems?
Economic Weaknesses…
• Congress can’t regulate trade – each state
made own trade laws and taxed goods going
from state to state
• Congress couldn’t tax – only request money to
fund programs and pay down debt
• Currency is not exclusive power of National
Gov’t- confusion on value led to very local
markets
• 13 of 13 votes - Difficult to amend the Articles
Foreign Relations Weakness…
• National gov’t could not raise an army – only
“request”; No executive branch to enforce
terms of treaties
– British refused to leave forts in Northwest
Territory and along Canadian border
– Spain controlled Mississippi River and shipping;
revoked “right of deposit” at New Orleans
– France was angry that the US preferred to trade
for British goods and not with France
Political Weakness…
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Legislative branch ONLY – 1 house legislature; 1
vote/state
No executive branch to enforce terms of treaties
No national courts to settle disputes
States controlled the National Legislature – chose
representatives, paid them, told them how to vote,
and could remove them
No “national interests” or “common goals” develop
Difficult to pass laws – 9 -13 needed to pass a law;
13 of 13 needed to amend The Articles
Controversial Issues Lead to Civil
Unrest…
• Slavery
• Debt
– State governments’
– Individuals’
Slavery Issue Re-enforces Regionalism
• South believed that emancipation would be
contrary to economic interests- defended the
institution as an “economic necessity”
VS.
• North gradually abolished slavery as it was not
necessary to economic success of the region
South fears strong central gov’t would try to
end slavery…
• Property rights of the slave holders must be protected
• Abolition of slavery could destroy the social order in the
South
• “peculiar institution of the South” is a state by state issue
• “property rights” are protected by states
• The fragile balance within the union of states might be
upset by changes and the Southern states begin to state
that they might secede if pressured
DEBT- Shays’ Rebellion: A Struggle between
borrowers and lenders
• States had borrowed money and the lenders
wanted high taxes so gov’t could pay back
debt
• Debtors went farther into debt
• Farmers were paid with paper money and had
to repay their debts with hard currency –
paper currency was worthless and farmers
began to lose their farms
Shays’ Rebellion
• Proposed relief package for economically
suffering farmers; passed by lower house of
Massachusetts legislature, defeated by the
upper house (wealthier members)
• 2000 farmers led by Daniel Shays, rebelled,
closed the courthouses to prevent
foreclosures on mortgages
• Armed rebellion began in summer 1786 –
ended in February 1787
Shay’s Rebellion
• National government could not control value
of currency
• No uniform currency → inflation and
confusion
• Government had no power to raise an army to
prevent or stop a rebellion