US History
Fort Burrows
Creating a Republic - 1776 - 1790
7.1 - A Loose Confederation
“The toils of agriculture will here be rewarded with a great variety of valuable productions, than in any other part of America. The advantages of almost every climate are here blended together; every considerable commodity that is grown in any part of the United States is here produced in the greatest plenty and perfection. The high and dry lands are of a deep, rich soil – producing, in wheat, rye, Indian corn, buck wheat, oats, barley, flax…”
Manasseh Cutler, The First Map and Description of Ohio,
1787Settler from the Northwest Territory
Time Line:
1777 - The Continental Congress approves the Articles of Confederation which
begin to create a ‘loose’ association of states
1781 - The Articles of Confederation take effect
1785 - Congress passed the Land Ordinance of 1785
It sets up a system forsurveying and settling the Northwest Territory
between theMississippi and the Ohio Rivers
1787 - Constitutional Convention meets in Philadelphia
The new Constitutioncreates a stronger central government
1789 - The 1st election under the new Constitution creates a stronger central
government
1789 – George Washington becomes the 1st president!! (1789- 1797)
1791 - The Bill of Rights is added to the Constitution to protect individual
liberties
The Articles of Confederation created a weak central government and a loose alliance of independence states.
Vocabulary:
Constitution- documents that sets out the laws, principles, organization, processes of a government
bill of rights - written list of freedoms that a government promises to protect
Bill of Rights - the 1st 10 Amendments to the United States Constitution
execute - carry out
Articles ofConfederation-1st American constitution, passed in 1777, whichcreated
a loose alliance of 13 independent states
cede - to give up
currency - money
Land Ordinance of 1785 - law setting up a system for settling the Northwest Territory
Northwest Ordinance - 1787 article that set up a government for the Northwest Territory,
guaranteed basic rights to settlers, and outlawed slavery there
depression - period when business activity slows, prices and wages fall, andunemployment rises
Shays’ Rebellion - 1786 revolt in Massachusetts led by farmers in reaction to high taxes
drafting – drawing up a preliminary version
reluctant – showing hesitation or unwillingness
confederation – a group created for common action
resolve – to deal with something successfully
ordinance – a law set forth by a governmental authority
survey – to determine the form and extent of an area of land by taking measurements
township – a unit of local government
avert – to avoid
In 1775, Thomas Jefferson rode 300 miles from Virginia to attend the Continental Congress in Philadelphia. The roads were so poorly marked that Jefferson got lost twice. The only way he could get back on the path was to hire guides. The ties uniting the 13 states often seemed as hard to find as the roads linking them. The Declaration of Independence had created a new nation. But the former colonies had little experience working together. Many Americans wondered if they could create a central government that would unite the states effectively.
The States Rights Constitution
when forming a government, most states wrote constitutions
States wrote constitutions for two reasons:
- to spell out the rights of all citizens
- to limit the power of the government
Virginia’sconstitution included a bill of rights – guaranteed trial by jury, freedom of religion and freedom of the press
“…that the free exercise and enjoyment of religious profession
and worship, without discrimination or preference, shall forever
hereafter be allowed, within this State…”
New York Constitution of 1777
State Governments were similar to colonial governments – divided power between legislature and executive
The Articles of Confederation
as state governments were formed, Congress was drafting a plan for the nation as a whole
Delegates believed colonies should be united by a national government to win their independence
few Americans saw themselves as citizens of one nation
they were reluctant to give up power to a central government
after much debate, Congress approved the 1st American constitution in 1777 – the Articles of Confederation (AOC)
this created a very loose alliance of 13 independent states
Limited Power
Πunder the AOC, the states sent delegates to Congress
Πeach state had one vote
Πthe AOC had no president to execute laws
ΠAOC had no system of courts to settle conflicts between states
Congress Could…appoint military officers
declare war
be responsible for foreign affairs
coin money / Congress Could NOT…
raise revenue through taxes
regulate trade between states/foreign countries
pass laws if not approved by 9 states
Dispute over Western Lands
Πa dispute arose before the AOC went into effect
ΠMaryland refused to ratify the AOC unless Virginia and other states ceded their claims to land west of the Appalachian Mountains
Œ Maryland was afraid “landed” states would become too powerful
Πone by one, states ceded their claims to Congress
Πwith demands met, Maryland ratified the AOC in 1781 so the American
government could at last go into effect
¿¿ What powers belong to Congress under the Articles of Confederation ?
1.______
2.______
3.______
4.______
Weakness of the Confederation
by 1783, the US had won its independence
American Revolution did not solve all the problems
Americans had reason to doubt whether “these United States” could survive
Conflicts Between States
Πboth New Hampshire and New York claimed Vermont
Πthe AOC did not give central government power to resolve such conflicts
“So long as any individual state has the power to defeat the
measures of the other twelve, our pretended union is but a name,
and our confederation, a cobweb.”
Noah Webster, Sketches of American Policy
Money Problems
Πafter the Revolution, the US owed millions to individuals and other nations
Œ Congress had no way to repay debts since they couldn’t tax
ΠCongress had solved the problem by printing paper currency during war
Πpaper money not backed by gold or silver so it had little value
ΠStates printed their own money but refused to accept money of others
Πas a result, trade became very difficult
Other Nations Take Advantage
Œ Foreign countries took advantage of the Confederation’s weaknesses
ΠBritain, ignoring the Treaty of Paris, refused to withdraw its troops from Ohio Valley
ΠSpain closed its port in New Orleans to American shipping
¿¿ List the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation …
______.
Admitting New States
despite troubles, Congress did pass laws how to govern the Northwest Territory
NW Territory lay north of Ohio River and east of Mississippi River
Laws established how territories would be governed and how they could become states
Land Ordinance of 1785 set up a system for settling NW Territory
- territory would be surveyed and divided into townships
- each township would be divided into 36 sections of 1 square mile each
- Congress planned to sell sections to settlers for $640
- one section in every township was set aside to support public schools
In 1787, Congress passed the Northwest Ordinance which…..
- set up government for Northwest Territory
- guaranteed basic rights to settlers
- outlawed slavery
- provided for vast region to be divided into separate territories in the future
- provided a way to admit new states to the nation
- once territory had population of 60,000 free settlers, it could ask Congress to be admitted as a new state
- each new state would be “on an equal footing” with the original states in all respects
- states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin were created from the Northwest Territory
¿¿ What were the provisions of the Northwest Ordinance ?
______.
A Call for Change
Northwest Ordinance was the finest achievement of the national government under the AOC
Government couldn’t solve economic problems and nation suffered an economicdepression
Farmers Revolt
Πdepression hit farmers hard because war had created a high demand for farm products
Πfarmers borrowed money for land, seed, animals and tools
ΠAfter war, demand for farm products fell and farmers could not repay loans
Πsome states raised taxes
Πcourts seized farms of those who could not pay their taxes or loans
ΠFarmers felt they were being treated unfairly
ΠDaniel Shays, a Massachusetts farmer, organized an uprising in 1786
Œ more then 1,000 farmers took part in Shays’ Rebellion which attacked the courthouse and prevented the state from seizing farms
ΠMassachusetts militia drove them off
A Convention Is Called
Œ Americans saw Shays’ Rebellion as a sign the AOC did not work
ΠLeaders from several states called for a convention to revise the AOC
Πin May 1787, leaders met in Philadelphia
Πthis convention would create an entirely new framework of government
1. Why did state governments write constitutions ?
______.
2. What process did the Articles create for admitting new states ?
______.
3. Why did many Americans call for changes ?
______.
4. Describe what the Constitution meant by “the principle of Federalism” ?
______.
1 of 7.1 Printer Copy Sept 2016