Name ______

Articles of Confederation Study Guide

  1. Articles of the Confederation
  1. 1st government of the United States (1777)
  2. Only one branch of government – Legislative – Confederation Congress
  3. No executive (president) to carry out (enforce) the laws
  4. No judicial to interpret laws or settle state disputes
  5. Feared that the national government would be too powerful
  6. States had most of the power
  7. 3 Branches – Executive (governor), legislative and judicial
  8. Each state had its own constitution, including a Bill of Rights
  1. Confederation Congress
  1. Legislative branch (make laws)
  2. One vote per state
  3. 9 of 13 states to pass a law
  4. 13 of 13 to amend (change) the Articles of Confederation
  5. Powers – The Confederation Congress had the power to…
  6. Pass laws
  7. Coin Money
  8. Set up a postal system
  9. Declare war/Make peace
  10. Ask states for money
  11. Establish a military
  12. Admit new states

  1. Limits – The Confederation Congress could not…
  2. Collect taxes
  3. Settle state disputes
  4. Control trade
  5. Enforce/judge laws
  6. Force people to serve in the military
  1. Settling West
  1. Land Ordinance of 1785
  2. Land is surveyed into townships
  3. Land is sold by national government
  1. Northwest Ordinance of 1787
  2. Sets out plan for a territory to become a state
  3. Prohibits (bans) slavery
  4. Protects citizen’s rights
  1. Growing Problems
  1. Economic Problems
  1. Trade between states was difficult
  2. National government was broke because it could not tax
  3. Inflation – money became worthless
  1. Foreign Problems
  1. Europe Nations thought US was weak
  2. British had troops in forts in the NW territory
  3. Spanish would not let the US use the Mississippi River
  1. Problems at Home
  1. Economic depression
  2. Farmers were losing their farms because state governments were raising taxes and farmers were unable to pay
  1. Shays Rebellion
  1. Shay led an uprising of about 1,000 Massachusetts farmers
  2. Scared many Americans
  3. Demonstrated that the national government had no power to control the actions of the people and/or the states
  1. Results of Problems
  1. In an attempt to solve the problems of the US, Congress asked the states to send delegates (representatives) to a convention in Philadelphia in 1787
  2. Goal: fix the problems with the Articles of Confederation