Articles of Confederation to the Constitution: Notes
Articles of Confederation to the Constitution
A. The Articles of Confederation
a. The writers of the Articles of Confederation were cautious about giving the new government powers they had just denied Parliament.
b. Weaknesses in the Articles included the following:
i. A lack of authority to tax ii. A lack of authority to exercise authority directly over the states
c. The most important accomplishment was the Northwest Ordinance of 1787. That ordinance did the following:
i. Provided for the orderly creation of the territorial governments and new states (Ohio was the first state admitted to the Union from the Northwest territory.) ii. Excluded slavery north of the Ohio River iii. Supported public education
B. Shay’s Rebellion, 1786
a. The rebellion was sparked by the economic frustrations of Massachusetts farmers who were losing their farms because they could not pay debts in hard currency.
b. The leaders of Shays’ Rebellion sought these changes:
i. An end to farm foreclosures ii. An end to imprisonment for debt iii. Relief from oppressively high taxation iv. Increased circulation of paper money
c. The leaders of Shays’ Rebellion did not attempt to overthrow the government of Massachusetts.
d. Shays’ Rebellion helped convince key leaders that the Articles of Confederation were too weak and that the United States needed a stronger central government.
C. The Federal Constitution
a. The Constitution was the result of a series of compromises that created a government acceptable to large and small states, as well as to free and slave states.
b. The following provisions were in the Constitution, as submitted to the states in 1787:
i. The separation of powers, which organizes the national government into three branches ii. The authority of Congress to declare war iii. A guarantee of the legality of slavery iv. The creation of an Electoral College to safeguard the presidency from direct popular election
v. Provision for impeachment of the President
A. The Articles of Confederation
a. The writers of the Articles of Confederation were cautious about giving the new government powers they had just denied Parliament.
b. Weaknesses in the Articles included the following:
i. A lack of authority to tax ii. A lack of authority to exercise authority directly over the states
c. The most important accomplishment was the Northwest Ordinance of 1787. That ordinance did the following:
i. Provided for the orderly creation of the territorial governments and new states (Ohio was the first state admitted to the Union from the Northwest territory.) ii. Excluded slavery north of the Ohio River iii. Supported public education
B. Shay’s Rebellion, 1786
a. The rebellion was sparked by the economic frustrations of Massachusetts farmers who were losing their farms because they could not pay debts in hard currency.
b. The leaders of Shays’ Rebellion sought these changes:
i. An end to farm foreclosures ii. An end to imprisonment for debt iii. Relief from oppressively high taxation iv. Increased circulation of paper money
c. The leaders of Shays’ Rebellion did not attempt to overthrow the government of Massachusetts.
d. Shays’ Rebellion helped convince key leaders that the Articles of Confederation were too weak and that the United States needed a stronger central government.
C. The Federal Constitution
a. The Constitution was the result of a series of compromises that created a government acceptable to large and small states, as well as to free and slave states.
b. The following provisions were in the Constitution, as submitted to the states in 1787:
i. The separation of powers, which organizes the national government into three branches ii. The authority of Congress to declare war iii. A guarantee of the legality of slavery iv. The creation of an Electoral College to safeguard the presidency from direct popular election
v. Provision for impeachment of the President