Articles of Confederation 1781 1789 1 2 Articles

Articles of Confederation 1781 -1789 1

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Articles of Confederation n n n n First written U. S. Constitution Limited powers of central government No independent judiciary or executive branch Confederation of equal states States retained individual sovereignty States executed laws Each state had one vote in Congressional representatives chosen by the state legislatures 3

National Powers under the Articles Congress could: n Declare war n Send and receive ambassadors n Make treaties n Borrow money n Build and equip an army and navy 4

National Weaknesses under the Articles of Confederation n n n n No executive or president No federal judiciary Limited protection from foreign threats Ineffective against domestic threats Inability to regulate commerce Inability to raise revenue Inability to regulate currency States forced to compete with one another 5

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Successes of the Articles 7

Congress Declares Independence 8

Organizes and Wins a War of Independence, 1775 -1783 George Washington at Princeton By Charles Wilson Peale 9

Incorporating the Western Territories 10

Congress Discusses Slavery in the Western Territories 11

Congress Decides How to Divide the Western Territories Land Ordinance of 1785 12

Congress Determines How New States Can Enter the Union 13

Relations With Native Americans 14

Shifting Political Tides in the “Critical Period” Large, new class of political empowered citizens n The balance of political power shifted within the states n Legislatures were dominated by radicals. n Shay’s Rebellion, 1786 n 15

Events Leading to the New Federal Constitution Border disputes between the states n Disagreements between the states n Treaty violations by Great Britain n Barbary pirates effect trade n Shay’s Rebellion n Annapolis Convention n Agreement to hold another convention n 16

The Mount Vernon Conference 17

Shay’s Rebellion 18

Congress Tries to Revise the Articles of Confederation 19

Congress Calls a New Convention 20

Creating a Constitution 21

The Constitutional Convention Drafts a New Constitution 22

The Constitutional Convention Completes a New Constitution 23

The Constitution is Ratified 24

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The Congress Institutes a New Government 27

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