Chapter 5 - Section 1
Experimenting with Confederation
Main Idea – Americans adopted the Articles of Confederation but found the new
government too weak to solve the nation’s problems.
Americans Debate Republicanism
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Background: following American Revolution, debates raged about the nature of
the new United States government and its relationship to the individual states
republic – def. – a government in which citizens rule through their elected
representatives
republicanism – def. – idea that governments should be based on the consent of
the people
The Continental Congress Debates
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Articles of Confederation – def. – first framework for U.S. government
following the American Revolution, lasting from 1781-1789.
o Established a confederation = loose alliance of states with a weak central
government and strong state governments
o national government existed with Congress only = WEAK
 Each state had one vote in Congress
 Power to declare war, make peace, sign treaties, borrow money, set
standards for coins, establish a postal service, deal with Native
Americans
 No power to collect taxes
 No executive branch to enforce laws
 No judicial branch to interpret laws
 All other powers belonged to individual state governments
Governing the Western Lands
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Background: Congress had to decide how to govern the public lands North of the
Ohio River and West of the Appalachian mountains (Northwest Territory)
Land Ordinance of 1785 – established a procedure for surveying the land
o Establish a grid system - divided land into townships = 36 square miles
Northwest Ordinance of 1787 – established a procedure for dividing the land
into 5 territories (Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin)
o Established a system for those territories to become states
 Territory could apply for statehood when population reached
60,000
 Banned slavery from Northwest Territory
SIG – Western Lands = one of the few successes of the Articles of Confederation
The Confederation Encounters Problems
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Political Problems of the Articles of Confederation
o Lacked national unity – each state was considered completely independent
o Each state had one vote in Congress, regardless of population
o Two-thirds majority (9 out of 13 states) needed to pass a law
o Unanimous vote necessary (13 out of 13 states) to amend the Articles
o No executive branch to enforce laws
o No national court system (judicial branch) to interpret laws
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Economic Problems of the Articles of Confederation
o Huge debt from Revolutionary War owed to foreign nations (ie France)
o Congress had no power to tax
o Congress printed its own money – “Continental” = worthless
o No power to regulate interstate trade
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Foreign Policy Problems of the Articles of Confederation
o With debts unpaid, British refused to evacuate soldiers from forts around
the Great Lakes
o Congress had no power to regulate foreign trade
 Spain closed the Mississippi River to American trade – hurt
western farmers