A Weak Confederation

1
A Weak Confederation
2
Accomplishments of the Articles of Confederation

• Add a state plan (Northwest Ordinance of 1787 and
  Land Ordinance of 1785)
• Brought the American Revolution to a successful
  conclusion

3
Failures of the Articles of Confederation

1. Failed to gain a commercial treaty with England
2. Could not enforce a tax collection program
3. Failed to remove the French and English from
   their territories.
4. Spanish closed the mouth of the Mississippi River
   to trade

4
Writing a Nations Constitution
5

• Annapolis Meeting January 1786, to discuss
  regulation of commerce 5 of 13 states
  participated Hamilton demanded that states send
  delegates to a larger meeting the next year.
• Philadelphia Convention 12 states and 55
  delegates show up, 1787, remodel the articles of
  Confederation.

6
Issues of the Philadelphia Convention

• Type of union (federal or/and national union?)
• Federal union states fully sovereign, run their
  own affairs like a treaty or international
  association to hold the states together.
• National union states give up some power to a
  sovereign central government. Have the ability
  to tax, court system, make laws, etc.

7
Great Compromise

• Issue Representation
• Virginia Plan Madison two houses,
  representation based on population
• New Jersey Plan William Paterson one house,
  each state one vote.
• Connecticut Compromise two house, one house
  representation would be based on population, one
  house each state equal

8
3/5 Compromise

• Are slaves people or property?????
• Taxes and representation based on population
  Northerners want to count slaves as property
  Southerners as people. Cannot be both.
• Compromise slave 60 person, 40 property for
  tax purposes and representation.

9
The States Ratify
10
Focus

• Imagine that you were alive between 1787 and
  1790.
• In what order would you have to travel to the
  states to see each one ratify the Constitution?
  (Use pages 121-123)

11

1. Delaware (12/1787)
2. Pennsylvania (12/1787)
3. New Jersey
4. Georgia
5. Connecticut
6. Massachusetts (2/1788)
7. Maryland (4/1788)
8. South Carolina (5/1788)
9. New Hampshire (6/1788)
10. Virginia (7/1788)
11. New York (7/1788)
12. North Carolina (11/1789)
13. Rhode Island (5/1790)