The Declaration of Independence & The Articles of Confederation

Three main sections of the declaration of independence

• Puts out a theory of government based on the social contract and natural rights

• Provides a list of grievances against the King of England

• Makes a statement of colonial unity and separation from Britain

Puts out a theory of government based on the social contract and natural rights

Legitimate government is derived from the consent of the people and charged with protecting their natural, God-given rights (life, liberty)

Makes a statement of colonial unity and separation from Britain

people have the right of rebellion when the government fails to protect their natural rights and the right to form a new government

Important principles/concepts of the declaration of independence

• Popular sovereignty

• Limited government

• Consent of the Governed

• Natural Rights

• Social Contract

Popular sovereignty

governments exists by the people and for the people

Limited government:

certain restrictions should be placed on government to protect the natural rights of citizens

Consent of the Governed

government gets its authority from the people

Natural Rights

people are born free with natural rights to life, liberty, and property.

Social Contract

an agreement between citizens and their government; e.g. people give up some of their freedoms in exchange for having greater security of both their lives and their property

what are The Articles of Confederation

Became the first national constitution for governing the American states

why did The Articles created a confederation or “league of friendship” among the states

because there was fear of a strong national government due to the abuses suffered under the British Crown

Problems with the Articles of Confederation (7)

• A league of friendship among the states did not obligate them to each other 

• There was no president and no justice system or court to handle disputes 

• All states could coin money 

• Only states could tax the people

• The national government could not tax and therefore had no money 

• Each state has one vote only in the one house (unicameral) of Congress

• Any change to the Articles of Confederation had to be approved by every state

Shay’s Rebellion

• A large group of poor farmers from Massachusetts lost their farms to foreclosures and failure to pay taxes (1786)

• Led by Daniel Shays, a group of violent insurgents attacked the federal arsenal in Springfield.

what did shays rebellion emphasize

The attack demonstrated that a lack of centralized military power posed a threat to America’s security!!