3-1: Governing a New Nation

The government had major successes and failures under the

Articles of Confederation.

Anticipatory Set

Imagine what would happen if the school was planning event and there was not a committee in charge of the

event.

California Standards Social Studies Standard 8.2.2: Analyze the

Articles of Confederation and the Constitution and the success of each in implementing the ideals of the Declaration of Independence.

Social Studies 8.3.1: Analyze the principles and concepts codified in state constitutions between 1777 and 1781 that created the context out of which American political institutions and ideas developed.

Social Studies 8.3.2: Explain how the ordinances of 1785 and 1787 privatized national resources and transferred federally owned lands into private holdings, townships, and states.

Social Studies 8.3.5: Know the significance of domestic resistance movements and ways in which the central government responded to such movements (e.g., Shays’ Rebellion, the Whiskey Rebellion).

Inputconstitution: a document stating

the rules under which a government will operate.

executive: the person who runs the government and sees that the laws are carried out.

economic depression: a period when business activity slows, prices and wages drop, and unemployment rises.

InputGovernment by the State

The first state constitutions were designed to support the principles fought for in the American Revolution.

• Eleven of the 13 states wrote new constitutions to support their governments.

• The new constitutions limited the power of the governors and gave it to the state legislature. This was so they would not repeat the problems that had caused the Revolution.

• All but a few states limited the right to vote to white males over 21.

Input & ModelingGovernment by the State

The first state constitutions were designed to support the principles fought for in the American Revolution.

• Virginia was the first state to include a bill of rights in its constitution.

• In their bill of rights, a list of essential freedoms, they included:

• Freedom of religion• Freedom of the press• Right to trial by jury• A ban against cruel and unusual

punishment

Input & ModelingThe Articles of Confederation

The Articles of Confederation were designed to preserve liberty by restricting the powers of the federal government.

• In 1777, the Continental Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation as a plan for the nation.

• The government consisted of one branch, a one-house legislature called Congress.

• Within Congress, each state had a single vote and nine states had to agree before a law could go into effect.

Input & ModelingThe Articles of Confederation

The Articles of Confederation were designed to preserve liberty by restricting the powers of the federal government.

• The Articles provided for a limited central government.

• Most power remained in the hands of the states.• Congress could not regulate trade or collect taxes.

It had to ask the states for money.• Congress could:

• Make laws• Declare war• Coin or borrow money• Run a postal service

InputSettling the Western Lands

The ordinances of 1785 and 1787 created a way for national lands to be sold to the public.

• Prior to 1781, most states had land claims to land west of the Appalachian Mountains.

• Virginia was the last state to give up their land claims to the new government.

InputSettling the Western Lands

The ordinances of 1785 and 1787 created a way for national lands to be sold to the public.

• Under the Land Ordinance of 1785, surveyors divided public lands into townships, six miles on each side.

• Each township was divided into 36 parcels of one-mile squares.

Input & ModelingSettling the Western Lands

The ordinances of 1785 and 1787 created a way for national lands to be sold to the public.

• The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 guaranteed basic rights for settlers north of the Ohio River and banned slavery there.

• It set a three-step process for a territory to become a state.

• Initially, Congress would appoint a governor, a secretary, and three judges.

• Once a territory had 5,000 free adult male settlers, it could elect a legislature.

Input & ModelingSettling the Western Lands

The ordinances of 1785 and 1787 created a way for national lands to be sold to the public.

• When the free population reached 60,000, the territory could ask to become a state.

• Over time, five states were carved out of the Northwest Territory:

• Ohio• Indiana• Illinois• Michigan• Wisconsin

InputGrowing Problems

The Articles of Confederation denied the central government the power to deal effectively with several key issues facing the nation.

• Each state set its own trade policy.• Each state tried to help its own farmers and

manufacturers by taxing goods from other states.• Trade was discouraged between states.• Each state printed their own money, making trade

harder.• The central government could not tax, so there was little

money to run the government.

InputGrowing Problems

The Articles of Confederation denied the central government the power to deal effectively with several key issues facing the nation.

• The United States seemed to be weak, so powerful nations took advantage of the situation.

• British troops continued to hold forts in the Northwest Territory.

• The Spanish refused to let Americans ship products down the Mississippi River.

InputGrowing Problems

The Articles of Confederation denied the central government the power to deal effectively with several key issues facing the nation.

• A severe economic depression hit the U.S. in the mid-1780s.

• Farmers in Massachusetts were unable to pay their taxes as corn prices declined.

• The state began seizing some farms and selling them to get the back taxes.

• Angry farmers demanded the state to stop this practice.

InputGrowing Problems

The Articles of Confederation denied the central government the power to deal effectively with several key issues facing the nation.

• In August 1786, a former Revolutionary War captain, Daniel Shays led an uprising of about 1,000 Massachusetts farmers.

• When the farmers attempted to seize arms from a state warehouse, they were arrested by the state militia.

• Shays’ Rebellion frightened some leading Americans into calling for a stronger central government.

The Articles of Confederation were designed to perserve liberty by restricting the powers of _______.the federal

government

What did Shay’s rebellion do to help Americans? Call for a stronger

central government (revise the Articles of Confederation).

Check forUnderstanding

Answer #1 & 2, 6

Guided Practice

Independent PracticeFinish the worksheet.

HOMEWORK EXTENSION

Write a detailed SUMMARY of the section and complete the UNANSWERED QUESTIONS section of your notes.

Choose two of the remaining Depth & Complexity ICONS in your notes and explain how they relate to this section.