Articles of Confederation

1. Central Gov’t Under the Articles
 Single- chamber (unicameral) congress
 No executive branch or president
 Congress made up of one delegate from each
state w/ one vote each
 Congress’ powers limited to:
1. Foreign affairs
2. Defense
Articles of Confederation

2. Weak Central Gov’t
 No power to levy taxes
 No power to regulate trade
 No power to enforce laws
 Difficult to pass laws: needed 9/13 to pass a
law
 Needed consent from all 13 states to amend
the Articles
 No Executive Branch
 No Federal court system

3. Need for Stronger Gov’t
1. States began to argue over boundary lines
and tariffs.
2. Central gov’t had no money to maintain an
army and was $40 million in debt.
3. 1786 economic depression left many farmers
in debt

4. Shays’s Rebellion
 Farmers in debt were often jailed or their
properties were seized by state authorities.
 Armed farmers closed courts to prevent
farm foreclosures
 Daniel Shays and a force of 1200 men
closed the Mass. Supreme Court.
 Mass. militia put down the rebellion.

5. THE ARTICLES OF
CONFEDERATION
Describe the weaknesses and
achievements of the Articles

6. CONTENT VOCABULARY
Ratify- to approve
Unicameral- single-chamber congress
Cede- to yield
Ordinance- laws

7. Achievements
 Developed a fair policy for the development of
lands west of the Appalachians
 Peace Treaty with Great Britain- Britain
recognized American independence, and
America gained land
 Established “full faith and credit” among states

8. Annapolis Convention
 Alexander Hamilton (NY) and James
Madison (VA), both in favor of a stronger
central gov’t called for a convention in
Philadelphia
 Philadelphia Convention (May, 1787) to
revise the Articles of Confederation