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Weaknesses in the Articles of Confederation Lead to the U.S. Constitution
“We are one nation today and 13 tomorrow. Who will deal with us on such terms?”
1. What was Washington talking about? (answer above)
•“We may indeed with propriety be said to have reached almost the last stage of national humiliation. There is scarcely anything that can wound the pride, or degrade the character of an independent nation, which we do not experience…Do we owe debts to foreigners and to our own citizens contracted in a time of imminent peril..?...Have we valuable territories and important posts in the possession of a foreign power, which by express stipulations have ought long since to have been surrendered?...Are we entitled by nature and compact to a free participation in the navigation of the Mississippi?...”
•
Alexander Hamilton, Federalist #15 (1788)
2. What concerns are expressed by Hamilton? (answer above)
3. Do you think Washington would be sympathetic to Hamilton’s concerns? Explain.
4. Were Washington and Hamilton’s concerns justified? Why or why not?
Read pgs.48-50 in United States Government: Democracy in Action
5. List the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation. (7 are identified)
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
6. Which weaknesses specifically contributed to the problems Hamilton identifies?
p.50 Achievements
7. There actually were a few things accomplished by Congress under the Articles of Confederation. Identify the achievements.
Read aloud pgs.51 – 52 “The Need for Stronger National Government”
8. Do the problems identified here match the concerns expressed by Hamilton in Federalist #15?
9. Why did Shay’s Rebellion reveal the need for a stronger national government?
Read pgs.48-50 in United States Government: Democracy in Action
5. List the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation. (7 are identified)
a. Congress could not levy taxes; it could only raise money through borrowing or land sales.
b. Congress lacked the power to regulate commerce (trade and business).
c. Congress could not force the states to obey any of its actions. Each state remained sovereign.
d. Any law required 9/13 states to pass. (Remember, even if a law was passed Congress could not force a state to comply with it.) Also, each state had one vote in Congress, regardless of population.
e. To amend the Articles required unanimity (all 13 states).
f. There was no executive branch.
g. There was no national court system. This made it difficult for the national government to settle disputes between the states.
6. Which weaknesses specifically contributed to the problems Hamilton identifies?
Since the Congress lacked the taxing power it could not raise money to pay off debts, nor to effectively raise a national army or navy. The fact that each state retained its sovereignty meant that there was no unity necessary to earn the respect – and fear of other nations.
p.50 Achievements
7. There actually were a few things accomplished by Congress under the Articles of Confederation. Identify the achievements.
Congress passed several measures to effectively deal with the settlement and development of western lands. This included the Land Ordinance of 1785 and the Northwest Ordinance of 1787. Congress also negotiated the Treaty of Paris with Great Britain which recognized American independence and territory.
Read aloud pgs.51 – 52 “The Need for Stronger National Government”
8. Do the problems identified here match the concerns expressed by Hamilton in Federalist #15?
Yes, foreign nations violated American sovereignty and rights. (Britain kept soldiers on forts in US territory in the West. Spain refused American ships right to trade at the port of New Orleans. Debt from the Revolutionary War looked like it would never be repaid since Congress had no way to raise money (could not tax).
9. Why did Shay’s Rebellion reveal the need for a stronger national government?
Massachusetts could not rely on its own militia to put down the rebellion since many of the militia fought alongside Shays. Without a national army made up of men from all the states, individual states might fall to other rebellions.