The Articles of Confederation PDF

‭ fter throwing off British rule, the independent states faced the challenge of governing‬ A ‭themselves. The 13 states needed a plan of government that would satisfy all their needs.‬ ‭Would the states be able to work together and still maintain their independence? How would‬ ‭each individual st...

‭ fter throwing off British rule, the independent states faced the challenge of governing‬ A ‭themselves. The 13 states needed a plan of government that would satisfy all their needs.‬ ‭Would the states be able to work together and still maintain their independence? How would‬ ‭each individual state govern itself? States Write Constitutions The Continental Congress took up‬ ‭this last question even before declaring independence. In May 1776, Congress asked the states‬ ‭to organize their governments. Each state adopted a state constitution, or plan of government.‬ ‭Eight states had drafted constitutions before the end of the year. New York and Georgia‬ ‭followed in 1777 and Massachusetts in 1780. Connecticut and Rhode Island decided to use‬ ‭their colonial charters as state constitutions. Limits on Power After years of British rule,‬ ‭Americans were determined not to place too much power in the hands of one ruler or body.‬ ‭They crafted constitutions that limited the power of the governor. Pennsylvania's constitution‬ ‭replaced the office entirely with an elected 12-person council. States also divided power‬ ‭between the governor (or council) and the legislature. Most states set up two-house, or‬ ‭bicameral (bye KAM ruhl), legislatures to divide the work of government even further. The‬ ‭first state constitutions aimed to keep power in the hands of the people. For example, voters‬ ‭chose the state legislators, and states held elections often. In most states, only white males who‬ ‭were at least 21 years old could vote. These men also had to own a certain amount of property‬ ‭or pay a certain amount of taxes. Some states allowed free African American males to vote.‬ ‭Because state constitutions limited the powers of the governors, the legislatures became the‬ ‭most powerful branch of government. The state legislatures tried to make taxes fair for‬ ‭everyone, but disagreements arose. The shift from British colonies to self-governing states held‬ ‭many challenges. A New Republic In addition to forming state governments, the American‬ ‭people had to form a national government. People agreed the new country should be a republic,‬ ‭a government in which citizens rule through elected representatives. They could not agree,‬ ‭however, on what powers the new republic's government should have. At first, most Americans‬ ‭wanted a weak central government. They expected each state would remain free to act‬ ‭independently on most issues. The states would rely on a central government only to wage war‬ ‭and handle relations with other countries. The Articles of Confederation In 1776 the Second‬ ‭Continental Congress appointed a committee to draw up a plan for a new central government.‬ ‭The result of this committee's work was the Articles of Confederation. After much discussion,‬ ‭Congress adopted the Articles—the nation's first constitution—in November 1777. The Articles‬ ‭of Confederation established a weak central government. The states kept most of their power.‬ ‭For the states, the Articles of Confederation were "a firm league of friendship" in which each‬ ‭state retained "its sovereignty, freedom and independence." The Articles of Confederation gave‬ ‭the Congress limited powers. Congress could conduct foreign affairs, maintain armed forces,‬ ‭borrow money, and issue currency. Congress did not have the power to regulate trade, force‬ ‭citizens to join the army, or impose taxes. If Congress needed to raise money or troops, it had to‬ ‭ask the states. States were not required to contribute. The new central government had no chief‬ ‭executive. This is an official, such as a president or a governor, who carries out the laws and‬ ‭leads the government in its day-to-day operations. Under the Articles of Confederation‬ ‭government carried on its business, such as selling western lands, through congressional‬ ‭committees. All the states had to approve the Articles and any amendments. Yet not every state‬ ‭supported the Articles of Confederation at first. Under the new plan, each state had one vote‬ ‭regardless of population. States with large populations believed they should have more votes.‬ ‭ isputes over land also threatened to block approval of the Articles. By the 1780s, seven of the‬ D ‭original states lay claim to areas in the West. Maryland refused to approve the Articles until New‬ ‭York, Virginia, and other states abandoned their land claims west of the Appalachian Mountains.‬ ‭This done, Maryland joined the other 12 states in approving the Articles. On March 1, 1781, the‬ ‭Confederation formally became the government of the United States of America. The‬ ‭Confederation Government The next several years were critical ones for the young republic. It‬ ‭soon became clear that the new national government was too weak to handle the problems‬ ‭facing the United States. The weak Congress could not pass a law unless nine states voted in‬ ‭favor of it. Changing the Articles required the approval of all 13 states. This made it hard for‬ ‭Congress to pass laws when there was any disagreement. Even with these challenges, the new‬ ‭government managed some key achievements. Under the Confederation government,‬ ‭Americans negotiated a peace treaty with Britain and expanded the country’s foreign trade. The‬ ‭Confederation also helped with settling and governing the country’s western lands. Specifying‬ ‭How many votes did each state have in the new Congress? Policies for Western Lands What‬ ‭process allowed new states to join the union? The Articles of Confederation did not propose a‬ ‭way to add new states to the United States. Yet there were settlers living west of the‬ ‭Appalachian Mountains, outside the existing states. These Western settlers wanted to organize‬ ‭their lands as states and join the Union. Under the terms of the Treaty of Paris, the British gave‬ ‭up control of the land north of the Ohio River and west of the Appalachian Mountains. Many‬ ‭Americans were eager to settle in this region. The new United States government had to‬ ‭establish policies for settlement of these western lands. Another challenge was to come up with‬ ‭an orderly process by which new territories could achieve the status of statehood. The‬ ‭Ordinance of 1785 In 1785 the Confederation Congress passed an ordinance, or law, that set‬ ‭up a process to survey and sell the lands north of the Ohio River. The new law divided this large‬ ‭area into townships 6 miles long (9.7 km) and 6 miles wide (9.7 km). These townships were to‬ ‭be further divided into 36 sections of 640 acres (259 ha). The government would sell each‬ ‭section at public auction, or sale, for at least a dollar an acre. Concerned about lawless people‬ ‭moving into western lands, Richard Henry Lee, the president of the Congress, urged that "the‬ ‭rights of property be clearly defined" by the government. Congress drafted another law to‬ ‭protect the interests of hardworking settlers. The Northwest Ordinance The Northwest‬ ‭Ordinance, passed in 1787, created a single Northwest Territory from lands north of the Ohio‬ ‭River and east of the Mississippi River. The lands were to be divided into three to five smaller‬ ‭territories. When a territory had 60,000 residents, the people could seek statehood. Each new‬ ‭state would have the same standing as the original 13 states. The Northwest Ordinance had a‬ ‭bill of rights for the settlers in the territory. It guaranteed freedom of religion and trial by jury. It‬ ‭also stated, "There shall be neither slavery nor involuntary servitude in said territory." This‬ ‭clause, or condition added to a document, marked the first attempt to stop the spread of slavery‬ ‭in the United States. The Ordinance of 1785 and the Northwest Ordinance attempted to make‬ ‭possible the settlement of the Northwest Territory in a peaceful and orderly way. In general, the‬ ‭laws were successful. The United States Congress would later take a similar step in the South.‬ ‭In 1798 it created the Mississippi Territory from land west of Georgia. Congress organized the‬ ‭government of the territory in the same basic way as in the Northwest Territory—except that‬ ‭slavery was allowed. Land Act of 1800 The Ordinance of 1785 and the Northwest Ordinance‬ ‭aimed to encourage settlement in the Northwest Territory. In time it became clear that people‬ ‭ eeded even more help. In 1800 Congress passed the Land Act. This law made it easier for‬ n ‭people to buy land in the territory. For example, the act made it possible for people to pay for‬ ‭land a little at a time. Under the terms of this law, a person was required to buy at least 320‬ ‭acres of land at a price of $2 per acre. The buyer could pay half of the money at the time of‬ ‭purchase and the rest in four yearly payments. Because of its weakness, the Confederation‬ ‭government had trouble with financial issues. Continentals, paper bills the Continental Congress‬ ‭printed during the war, did not hold their value. By 1781, the currency had depreciated (dih ‬ ‭PREE shee ayt ed), or fallen in value, so far that it was worth almost nothing. As more‬ ‭continentals appeared, people realized that Congress could not exchange or trade in the bills for‬ ‭gold or silver. The public began to doubt the money was worth anything. In 1779 it took 40‬ ‭continentals to buy a single Spanish silver dollar. By 1781, a person needed 146 continentals to‬ ‭buy that Spanish coin. "Not worth a continental” became a common saying. At the same time,‬ ‭the price of food and other goods soared. In Boston and some other areas, high prices led to‬ ‭food riots. In the 1780s, the Continental Congress faced a large debt. During the Revolutionary‬ ‭War, Congress had borrowed money from American citizens and foreign governments. It still‬ ‭owed Revolutionary soldiers pay for their military service. Without the power to tax, the‬ ‭Confederation could not easily raise money to pay its debts. The Continental Congress asked‬ ‭the states for money, but it could not force the states to pay. In fact, the states provided less‬ ‭than half of the money the federal government asked them to contribute. Plan for Import Tax‬ ‭Congress faced a collapse of the country's finances. In 1781 it created a department of finance‬ ‭led by Philadelphia merchant Robert Morris. While serving in Congress, Morris had proposed a‬ ‭5 percent tax on imported goods to help pay the national debt. The plan required a change to‬ ‭the Articles of Confederation. Twelve states approved the plan, but Rhode Island opposed it.‬ ‭Under the Articles, the single "no” vote was enough to block the plan. A second effort in 1783‬ ‭also failed to win approval by all the states. The financial crisis grew worse. Relations With‬ ‭Britain Trouble with foreign governments also revealed the weaknesses of the American‬ ‭government. For example, American merchants complained that the British were blocking‬ ‭Americans from the West Indies and other British markets. In the Treaty of Paris of 1783, Britain‬ ‭had promised to withdraw from the lands east of the Mississippi River. British troops, however,‬ ‭continued to occupy several forts in the Great Lakes region. In 1785 Congress sent John‬ ‭Adams to London to discuss these problems. Adams found the British unwilling to talk. They‬ ‭pointed to the failure of the United States to honor its promises made in the Treaty of Paris. The‬ ‭British claimed that Americans had agreed to pay Loyalists for the property taken from them‬ ‭during the Revolutionary War. Congress had proposed that the states pay the Loyalists. The‬ ‭states simply refused, and Congress could do nothing about it. Relations With Spain The United‬ ‭States had even greater problems with Spain. This European power, which controlled Florida as‬ ‭well as lands west of the Mississippi River, wanted to stop American expansion into its territory.‬ ‭To do this, Spain closed the lower Mississippi River to American shipping in 1784. Western‬ ‭settlers could no longer use the Mississippi River, which they relied on to ship goods to market.‬ ‭In 1786 American diplomats reached a new trade agreement with Spain. Representatives from‬ ‭the Southern states, however, blocked the agreement because it did not include the right to use‬ ‭the Mississippi River. The weakness of the Confederation and its inability to deal with problems‬ ‭worried many leaders, including George Washington. Americans began to agree that the‬ ‭country needed a stronger government.‬