Post Revolution Crisis

New Federal Gov’t

Creation of State Gov’ts

Land expansion

SSUSH5

• A. Explain how weaknesses in the Articles of Confederation and Daniel Shays’ Rebellion led to a call for a stronger central government.

What Where the Colonists afraid of?

What Were the Colonists afraid of?

- Strong Central Government (King)

- Taxes

- Judges controlled by a king

- Large standing armies

The Articles of Confederation

• Document that governed the United States from 1781-1788.

Main Points

• Legislative branch: Unicameral Congress – (single chamber)– One state, one vote, one representative

• No Execute branch, No President

• No Judicial branch, – states controlled the courts

• No federal court system

Congressional Powers

• Only those expressed in the Articles– Foreign affairs

• Makes treaties

– Defense• Declares War

– Prints Money, delivers mail

– The states had the rest

Weaknesses of the Articles

• Weak national government• Couldn’t levy taxes

– (they requested money from states)

• No regulation of trade• Couldn’t force anyone to obey the laws it

passed– …that was up to the states.

• Laws needed approval of 9 of the 13 states

Weaknesses of the Articles

• Votes of smaller states could block those of the larger states.

• 1 vote per state….no matter the size.

• Changing the Articles is difficult• 13 out of 13…..virtually impossible

• No executive branch• No court system• States have more power than Federal

Government

Achievements of Articles

• Established fair policy for development of land west of the Appalachians

• Peace Treaty with Great Britain in 1783

• Set up Foreign Affairs, War, and Treasury departments– Set precedent for creation of cabinet dept.’s

New Gov’t - What is it?• Articles of Confederation are first form of

U.S. constitution

- Articles split power between national body—Congress—and states

A New System of Government

• Congress passes Articles of Confederation in 1777; Articles go to states for approval

• By 1778 eight states ratify, or pass, Articles• Small states with no land west of Appalachians

refuse to sign

- want states with western lands to give land to Congress

• All states agree to turn over western lands by 1781; Articles ratified

The Northwest Ordinance

• Congress divides western land—Northwest Territory—for settlement

• Becomes Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota

• Congress passes Northwest Ordinance in 1787- sets up process for territories to become states- establishes religious freedom, trial by jury;

outlaws slavery• Ordinance becomes blueprint for future territories

and states

National Gov’t Lacks Power

• Articles prohibit Congress from setting taxes; U.S. can’t pay war debt

• Congress cannot enforce laws or settle interstate trade problems

• U.S. has $42 million war debt; most owed to veterans

• Many soldiers receive Northwest Territory land as payment

• State taxes are high, citizens cannot pay; revolts in Massachusetts

Foreign-Relations Problems

• U.S. does not pay debts to British merchants or compensate Loyalists

• In retaliation, Britain refuses to evacuate forts on Great Lakes

• In 1784, Spain closes Mississippi River to American navigation

• Westerners unable to ship crops east through New Orleans

• Congress unable to resolve problems with foreign nations

Shay’s Article Questions

• How were veterans “rewarded” after the Revolution?

• Who were the regulators? How and Why did they use intimidation as a tactic?

• How did Shay’s Rebellion lead to a stronger central Government?

Shays’ Rebellion

• Daniel Shays—Massachusetts farmer, war veteran unable to pay taxes

• In January 1787 leads other angry farmers to seize guns in Springfield

• State troops stop rebellion; Congress lacks resources, power to help

• Congress calls meeting to revise Articles

Constitutional Convention - 1787

• Some want only to revise Articles; some hope to redesign government

• Goal is to balance individual rights with power of central government

• George Washington president of Convention• Discussions kept secret so all can speak freely• Democratic Republic:- democratic-government reflects people’s will -republic- representatives chosen by people to

govern

Compromises Resolve Disputes

• Balance of power between large, small states is greatest argument

• Under Articles, Congress has one house

• Decide Congress should be bicameral, or have two houses

- House of Representatives- votes based on state population

- Senate- same number of votes for each state

• Bicameral solution called Great Compromise

The Three-Fifths Compromise

• Great Compromise creates new issue of how to count people

• Southern states want slaves counted, but not taxed

• Northern states want slaves taxed but not counted

• Three-Fifths Compromise—counts five slaves as three people

- applies to taxation and Congressional representation

Other Compromises• Slavery creates new debate—Northern

states want it banned• South disagrees, especially South Carolina,

Georgia• Decide to reject Constitution if ban passes;

compromise reached- Congress will not ban importation of slaves

until 1808• Fourth compromise the Commerce Clause- allows Congress to collect taxes, control

interstate trade

Division of Powers

• Delegates divide power of national government into three branches:

- legislative branch makes laws

- judicial branch interprets laws

- executive branch enforces laws

• Each branch has power to check, or control, actions of other two

- called system of checks and balances

The Electoral College

• Voters in each state choose representatives called electors

• Number of state’s electors equal to number of Congress members

• Electors—in group called Electoral College—vote for president

Delegates Approve the Constitution

• Delegates sign Constitution after four months of debate

• Constitution now goes to state conventions for ratification

• Nine of 13 states must ratify to become law

Federalists and Anti-federalists

• People debate the Constitution prior to conventions

• Federalists—system in which state, national governments share power

• Antifederalists fear Constitution takes away state powers

- also want bill of rights to define rights of the people

• Constitution ratified by July 1788, but still need Virginia, New York

• - both states ratify on promise of bill of rights

The Bill of Rights

• James Madison writes the Bill of Rights; first act of new government

- protects citizens against government power- guarantees freedom of speech, religion, press;

trial by jury- does not limit rights not specifically mentioned in

Constitution- becomes first 10 amendments to the Constitution• Constitution sets up national government; states

govern themselves

Adoption of a Bill of Rights

• 1791, Bill of Rights, or first ten amendments, ratified by states

• First Amendment—freedom of religion, speech, press, politics

• Second, Third—right to bear arms, no quartering of soldiers

• Fourth through Eighth—fair treatment for persons accused of crimes

• Ninth—people’s rights not limited to those mentioned in Constitution

• Tenth—people, states have all rights not specifically assigned