The American Revolution

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Articles of Confederation Government 1781-1789
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New Country New Govt

• After Revolution, question lingering on minds of
  Founding Fathers on what kind of nation to build
• Was it going to be a loose confederation of
  largely independent states?
• Was it going to be a tight federation with a
  national govt?
• Second Continental Congress appointed a committee
  of 13 to draft a constitution for a confederated
  type of government

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Issues to be Resolved

• Need to organize a nation and military
• Maintain civil order
• Establish international recognition and credit
• Defend territory against British
• Resolve internal quarrels and competition

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New Country New Govt

• Final draft of Articles of Confederation was
  approved by Second Continental Congress in 1777
  and was sent to states for final ratification
• The Articles were the unofficial constitution of
  the states during most of the Revolutionary War
• Articles became the official constitution of the
  states in 1781
• All 13 states had to ratify the Articles of
  Confederation

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Critical Period (1781-1789)

• Unity
• Most Americans shared a common English language
  and culture growing sense of one people
• Single geographic unit
• States had no tradition of hostility or war
  against each other
• Cooperation to win independence

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Critical Period

• Disunity
• Divided by loyalties to individual states
• Lacked close contact poor transportation
• Not interdependent economically
• No longer faced common enemy

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WholesalePriceIndex1770-1789
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Federalist vs. Anti-FederalistStrongholds at the
End of the War
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Weaknesses of theArticles of Confederation

• A unicameral Congress 9 of 13 votes to pass a
  law.
• 13 out of 13 to amend.
• Representatives were frequently absent.
• Could not tax or raise armies.
• No executive or judicial branches.

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State Constitutions

• Republicanism.
• Most had strong governors with veto power.
• Most had bicameral legislatures.
• Property required for voting.
• Some had universal white male suffrage.
• Most had a bill of rights.
• Many had a continuation of state-established
  religions while others disestablished religion.

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Occupational Composition of Several State
Assembliesin the 1780s
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Indian Land Cessions1768-1799
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Disputed Territorial ClaimsBetween Spain the
U. S.1783-1796
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State Claims to Western Lands
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Northwest Ordinance of 1785
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The United States in 1787
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American Exports, To From Britain 1783-1789
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Annapolis Convention (1786)

• 12 representatives from 5 statesNY, NJ, PA, DE,
  VA
• GOAL ? address barriers that limited trade and
  commerce between the states.
• Not enough states were represented to make any
  real progress.
• Sent a report to the Congress to call a meeting
  of all the states to meet in Philadelphia to
  examine areas broader than just trade and
  commerce.

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Shays Rebellion 1786-1787

• Daniel Shays
• Western MA
• Small farmers angered by crushing debts and taxes.

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Shays Rebellion 1786-1787
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Shays Rebellion 1786-1787
There could be no stronger evidence of the want
of energy in our governments than these disorders.
-- George Washington