Articles of Confederation Ratified 1781 rat·i·fy: past participle: ratified sign or give formal consent to (a treaty, contract, or agreement), making it.

Articles of Confederation

Ratified 1781

rat·i·fy: past participle: ratifiedsign or give formal consent to (a treaty, contract, or agreement), making it officially valid.

Articles of ConfederationDraw up a state Plaque. This plaque represents the state feelings in regard to you and other states and the United States government. USE COMPLETE SENTENCES. Will present to class. What state(any of the 13 colonies) Draw out as Plaque border.

Rights of the state:-when to meet for political purposes-state money (draw up the money-coin, currency etc.)-trade rights - with other countries - with other states- State military?-other state rights?-right to collect taxes?

Rights of the Individual:- Who gets to vote?- Who get to own land?-Who serves in the military if one?(draw up illustration of uniform)- Who pays taxes?-What if someone is accused of a crime?

Responsibilities to other States:-What if a criminal moves into your state from another state?-What if another state asks for money in financial disaster?- Boundary issues: Will you work with another state on where the border will be?-Will you trade with other states?

- what currency will you use? Theirs or yours?-What if another state is invaded by another country? What will you do to help? Military assistance? Aid?

Responsibilities to Federal Government :- How will you help with Federal Taxes?- How will you help with Federal Army?- Do you have elected representatives to

attend Federal Congressional meetings?- Are they required to attend?

Analyze this! (To Analyze is to pull out meaning.)

‘We have it in our power to begin the world over again. A situation, similar to the present, hath not happened since the days of Noah until now.The birthday of a new world is at hand.”

Throwing off the British monarchy on July 4, 1776, left the United States with no central government.

It had to design and install a new government–and quickly. As early as May 1776, Congress advised each of the colonies to draw up plans for state governments; by 1780, all thirteen states had adopted written constitutions.

In June 1776, the Continental Congress began to work on a plan for a central government. It took five years for it to be approved, first by members of Congress and then by the states. The first attempt at a constitution for the United States was called the Articles of Confederation.

Brainstorm the Strengths and Weaknesses Articles of Confederation

Strengths Weaknesses

STRENGTHS

• 1 To declare war and make peace.• 2 To coin and borrow money• 3 To detail with foreign countries and sign treaties• 4 To operate post offices• Every state had a voice to change the Federal

Government (13 votes – 1 for each state…to ratify)

Weaknesses

• The national government could not force the states to obey its laws.

• It did not have the power to tax• It did not have the power to enforce laws• Congress lacked strong and steady leadership• There was no national army or navy• There was no system of national courts• Each state could issue its own money• Each state could put tariffs on trade between states. (A tariff is

a tax on goods coming in from another state or country.)• Had to have all 13 agree to change the government.

European Attitude

• Predicted failure

Those pitiful colonist…It will never work.They will return!

Divide- s

ubdivide-

Eventu

al Anarch

y!

British troops still in America

Refused to leave until:

1. Debt paid in full2. All loyalist land

returned to them.

Confederation Gov’t1781-1789

• 8 presidents of congress– Didn’t go to meetings– Didn’t send reps to meetings

• To finance the War of Independence, the American states and the Continental Congress sold millions of dollars in public bonds to soldiers, ordinary Americans, and investors both within America and abroad. – Owed money to England (Fr/Ind war debt)– Owed money to France 12 million (back then)– Owed money to their own people (banknotes)

Depression hits hard• Duties imposed on

state trade• N. Jersey taxed- NY

retaliated.

• Value of money depreciated rapidly

• Jails jammed full of debtors

Outcome…

Shays Rebellion Discontent Grows begins in Mass- spreads

Daniel Shay- • Born into poverty- rose in ranks• Huge patriot- joined ranks against

Britian. Fought for ideals of equality and voice.

• Rose from sergeant to Captain in Cont. Army

• Fought in Bunker hill, Saratoga and New York

• Honorable man

Rebellion after War- brings anxiety to Fed• Depression hits hard.• Farmers lost farms (including Shay)• Gov. tax wanted hard money (not

paper or goods) no one had- sued for debt.

• Meet in Conkey Tavern- agreed to lead protestors to get government relief.– Wanted a voice in Gov.

• Mass Gov. refused to help• Rebels “Regulators” take over

Arsenal. • Fed Gov. watches- can’t do

anything.• Mass militia called into put down

rebellion.

Why is this rebellion important???

Shays' Rebellion demonstrated the high degree of internal conflict lurking beneath the surface of post-Revolutionary life.

Federalist (strong central) vs.

Antifederalist (weak Central)

The Anti-federalists claimed that the Constitution doomed the states to be dominated by a potentially tyrannical and uncompassionate central government. Federalists, for their part, defended the necessity of a strong national government and pointed to the Constitution as the best possible framework for the United States' government.

Read ratification readings

• Fill out summaries on readings- organize thoughts

• Write a STRONG thesis statement

What makes a strong thesis?

Before you develop an argument on any topic, you have to collect and organize evidence, look for possible relationships between known facts (such as surprising contrasts or similarities), and think about the significance of these relationships. Once you do this thinking, you will probably have a “working thesis,” a basic or main idea, an argument that you think you can support with evidence but that may need adjustment along the way.

Thesis statements must make a claim or argument

An argumentative or persuasive piece of writing must begin with a debatable thesis or claim. Pollution is bad for the environment.Ok At least 25 percent of the federal budget should be spent on limiting pollution.

Too broadThere are serious objections to today's horror movies.

Because modern cinematic techniques have allowed filmmakers to get more graphic, horror flicks have desensitized young American viewers to violence. Today's slasher movies fail to deliver the emotional catharsis that 1930s horror films did.

Strong or weak?• Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn is a great American

novel.• While both sides fought the Civil War over the

issue of slavery, the North fought for moral reasons while the South fought to preserve its own institutions.

• This paper will address the characteristics of a good corporate manager.

• Although the timber wolf is actually a timid and gentle animal, it is being systematically exterminated because people wrongfully believe it to be a fierce and cold-blooded killer.