The Articles of Confederation On June 12, 1776 the 2nd Continental Congress appointed a committee of 13, made up of one

member from each colony. This group was assigned to create a national constitution. The Articles of Confederation was the result. Characteristics of the Articles- The central national government 1. 2. 3. 4. each state would have one vote in the Congress no President of the national government no federal courts The Confederation Congress had only limited powers a. make coins b. borrow money c. negotiate & make treaties with other countries and with American Indians d. settle conflicts between the states e. ask states for money and soldiers f. could NOT force states to provide money or troops

2nd Continental Congress passed the Articles on November 15, 1777. It was sent to each state legislature for ratification (official approval). All 13 states had to ratify the Articles before the new national government could take effect. Conflicts over claims to western lands slowed the process. Many states claimed land as far west as the Mississippi River. Virginia and New York especially. Maryland wanted the territory to belong to the new national government. NY gave up its claims in 1780. VA gave up its claims in 1781. Maryland ratified the Articles of Confederation in March 1781. This made the national government go into effect. The greatest accomplishments were the land ordinances dealing with the territory west of the Appalachian Mountains. Land Ordinance of 1885 1. Land would be surveyed and divided into townships of 36 square miles. 6*6 2. Each township was divided into 36 sections- one square mile each. 1*1. Each section was 640 acres. 3. One section was set aside for public schools. 4. Four sections were set aside for Revolutionary War veterans. 5. The remaining sections were to be sold to the public. $1.00 per acre

Northwest Ordinance of 1787 1. When an area has 5000 free, white male inhabitants, each would become a territory with a governor appointed by Congress. 2. When population reached 60,000 inhabitants, the people could draft a constitution and ask to join the union. 3. The ordinance has a bill of rights which provided a. public education be provided for the citizens b. neither slavery nor involuntary servitude would be allowed in the territory

Problems Under the Articles of Confederation 1. Congress could not force states to provide soldiers for an army. Without an army, the national government could not protect citizens. 2. Congress could not enforce international treaties a. Treaty of Paris said that British soldiers had to evacuate US territory. b. Spain officially closed the lower Mississippi River to US shipping- this made westerners furious 3. After Treaty of Paris, Britain also forced US merchants to pay high duties on US exports of rice, fur, tobacco. The loss of trade with the British shook the US economy. 4. Congress could not pass tariffs- taxes on imports or exports. 5. The Confederation Congress had no power to regulate interstate commerce- trade between two or more states. Trade laws differed from state to state. 6. States could still print their own money. This caused inflation. The federal government could not stop the states from doing this. 7. Shays Rebellion a. Massachusetts refused to print paper money and tried to pay war debts by collecting taxes on land. When people could not pay their debts, MA courts began forcing the citizens to sell their property. Some people had to serve terms in debtors prison. b. In September 1786, farmers in 3 western MA counties began a revolt. Angry citizens armed with pitchforks and other farm tools closed down courts in the western part of the state. This became known as Shays Rebellion. It was led by Revolutionary War veteran named Daniel Shays. c. The state government ordered the farmers to stop the revolt and threatened death to any captured rebel. In September, the rebels forced the state supreme court in the town of Springfield to close. Shays forces returned to Springfield in October hoping to capture a federal weapons store house. This time, state troops defeated the rebels in January, 1787. By February, many rebels had surrendered or been arrested. During

trials, 14 leaders were sentenced to death, but the state freed most of the rebels, including Shays. d. Because of Shays rebellion, many Americans realized the national government was weak- it could offer little help to Massachusetts. Many began to call for change. e. In 1786, the VA legislature called for a national conference to talk about changing the Articles of Confederation. The meeting took place in Annapolis, MD in September 1786. Only 5 states sent delegates to the convention. New England states , the Carolinas, and GA were not represented. f. James Madison and Alexander Hamilton attended and urged the Annapolis delegates to send delegates to a Constitutional Convention at Philadelphia in May 1787. They hoped this Philadelphia convention would improve the national government.