life under the Articles of Confederation: what went right and what went wrong

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Starting a country’s not that easy

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Massive debt and nearly worthless currency
Consequence: _________________________
Unity among what amounts to 13 separate
countries
Consequence: _________________________
Conflicting territorial claims between states
Consequence: _________________________
Militarily weak
Consequence: _________________________

5. 
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Laws – why laws?
A way to make laws
A way to make sure laws are fair
A way to make sure laws are carried out
A way to interpret or apply law
In other words, a government
A way for gov’t to pay for itself
A way to protect people’s rights from
governmental power
A way to defend itself – foreign and domestic
A stable economy

6. 
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Basics:
Drafted by a committee of the 2nd Continental Congress
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Adopted in 1777 [same year as Saratoga]
Ratified in March, 1781 [holdup was conflicting land claims]
Emphasis on state power
Not UNITED States of America
United STATES of America

7. State Gov’t
State Gov’t
State Gov’t
Nat’l
Gov’t
State Gov’t
State Gov’t

8. 
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Land Ordinance of
1785
States had surrendered
their claims to Western
Territory
Conflict avoided
Way open for orderly
expansion of the nation
by the admission of
new states carved out
of the unclaimed land

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Land Ordinance surveys land
into squares of 1 sq. mile
36 make up a township
16th square reserved for
public/gov’t use
Squares can be divided further
for sale
Northwest Ordinance of 1787 is
a plan for growth
Area of 5000 voters makes a
temporary constitution
When pop. reaches 60K state
constitution submitted for
congressional approval
This process will included in
Article IV of the Constitution as
the way to admit new states to
the Union

11. 
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Border disputes among states
States printing own currency
Shay’s Rebellion
In Western Mass. 1786, led by
Captain Daniel Shays , a veteran
of the Revolution
 Many farmers losing farms to
non-payment of taxes
 Mass. raises an army to fight and
the rebellion is crushed
 Convinced many that the country
was failing under the Articles
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Meetings in Annapolis and
Philadelphia to repair the
Articles

12. 
55 delegates meet in Philadelphia
from May to Sept., 1787 [sans Rhode
Island]
Authorized “for the sole and express
purpose of revising” the Articles of
Confederation
 It’s always easier to get forgiveness than
permission …
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 Articles dropped in favor of an entirely
new government
 Meetings in secret so that
 Delegates could speak freely
 States would not find out what was
happening
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The brightest and best