2. New State
New State
Governments
Governments
After declaring
After declaring
independence, each
independence, each
state set out to create
state set out to create
their own government
their own government
Their governments are
Their governments are
considered
considered
Democracies. In a
Democracies. In a
Democracy the people
Democracy the people 1
3. Members of the
Continental Congress
agreed that a national plan
of government had to be
created not just state
governments.
The Articles of
Confederation were the
first plan for our national
government.
It gives the national
government few powers. 2
5. They had just become free from the
powerful British and many felt that it would
lead to tyranny or one person having all the
power again.
3
6. Under the Articles of
Confederation the National
Government had the power
to:
1.declare war
2.make peace
3.sign treaties
4.issue money
4
7. The Articles of Confederation left most
of the power to State Governments.
1.enforce national laws
2.set taxes
3.control the western lands
4.have one vote in congress
4, 5
8. Most states ratified the
Articles of Confederation, but
Maryland refused.
Maryland was concerned
because states like Virginia
were claiming land in the
west.
They feared that larger
states would become
extremely powerful.
They also feared that states
that claimed land in the west
could sell the land to make
money and avoid high taxes.
If that happened, they
feared, citizens of Maryland
would move to places like
Virginia to avoid high taxes.6
9. Maryland demanded that all of
the land west of the
Appalachian Mountains be
turned over to the
Congress/National Government
The larger states rejected the
demand
Thomas Jefferson and other
respected leaders stepped
forward and convinced states
to give up their claims to
western lands
They were successful and
Maryland ratified the Articles
of Confederation and they Thomas Jefferson
went into effect in 1781
7, 8
10. Settlers in the
frontier began to
feel neglected
and tried to form
their own states.
The biggest
question was how
congress was
going to divide 9, 10
11. Congress decided to pass
2 laws to deal with
Northwestern land:
The 1 st was the Land
Ordinance of 1785 which
dealt with settling
areas of land: Half Section
320 Acres
1 mile
Quarter
Section
1.It divided the territory 160 Acres
into 36 square mile 1 mile
townships
2.Each township was then
divided into 36 one square
mile sections which
contained 640 acres
1
12. The 2 nd
was the Northwest Ordinance passed in 1787
described how the Northwest Territory
was to be governed.
Rules for attaining self-government,
statehood
1. When the adult male population
reached 5,000 they could elect an
assembly
2. It allowed territories to apply for
statehood once the adult male
population reached 60,000
Set conditions for settlement
1. Outlaws slavery
2. Rivers are open for navigation by all
3. It also guaranteed some basic rights 12
13. One strength and The National Government
all of the Strength
1.Organized and governed the Northwest
Weaknesses of Territory. Setting the stage for orderly growth in
the Articles the US
Weaknesses COULD NOT…
1.tax the people and depended on money
from the states.
2.pay their debts, they were even unable to
pay the soldiers who fought in the
Revolution!
United States of America
3.regulate trade among the states.
Articles of 4.Pass laws, all 13 states had to vote yes.
Confederation
5.enforce laws.
13, 14
14. In Massachusetts, farmers were outraged when
their state raised taxes on them
The courts began to take land and put farmers in
jail for not paying off their loans
15
15. Shays’ Rebellion 1786
The National Government was so
broke they could not even pay their
soldiers who fought in the
Revolution.
National Government could not
impose or collect taxes.
An average family paid $200 a
year in taxes. To individual states.
More than what most people made in
a year.
Daniel Shays leads a rebellion of
about 1,500 men, mostly farmers,
who are upset about the high taxes
and want debt relief from the
government. 16
17. Shays’ Rebellion proved:
1. The national government under the Articles
of Confederation was powerless to raise
money to pay back debt.
2. Out of all this came a general agreement
that a stronger federal government was
needed.
17
