US History I Honors Unit 4 Part 1: The Confederation

Legislature

Legislature

During the Confederation period, this house had the most power in the states

Land Ordinance of 1785

One of the principal strengths of the Confederation.

This was a means of surveying, selling, and distributing land. The West land was split into 36 sections of 640 acres each per township. 1 was reserved for a school, while the other sections were auctioned off

Northwest Ordinance of 1787

One of the major strengths of the Confederation.

This provided steps to statehood and governing for land.

1. Congress appoints a territorial governor along with a council for the territory

2. If 5,000 adult males settled, they could elect a legislative assembly to govern alongside the governor/council. 

   1. This legislature was awarded a non-voting representative in Congress

3. If 60,000 people settled, they could draft a constitution and apply to be a state

   1. They were treated on equal footing as old states were

4. Promise full religious liberty

Confederation Period

After gaining independence, the United States entered this period

Property, tax

These qualifications were taken into account when someone wanted to run for the governor’s office during the Confederation Period

Disestablish

During the Confederation period, efforts were made to _________ the church and separate church and state.

increased

The availability of land ________ due to the Treaty of Paris. New territory for settlement opened in the Appalachians due to the absence of the Proclamation of 1763, and loyalist properties opened up in the East.

slavery

The South’s economy was dependent on this practice

Education

The Confederation period saw an unusual focus on _________.

• The people now make laws/choices → need education

• Massachusetts tries to take the lead on education

• Higher education for wealthy people

• Increased awareness of the American language and how it is used in America

The number of colleges more than doubles

state

Allegiance to a person’s ________ was more powerful than the allegiance to the nation.

Articles of Confederation

The United States’ first form of Government.

In 1777, this idea is approved by Congress.

By 1779, all states ratified it except Maryland because

• Later states did not get West land grants and Maryland thought it unfair

• Did not ratify until big states like PA, VA, MA give up West land to congress

Maryland

This state didn’t want to ratify the Articles of Confederation because it thought that later states were at a disadvantage without access to the West land. It pushed other states to give up that land to Congress.

The Confederation could

• Manage Diplomacy

• Borrow money

• Settle state dispute (though it had no executive authority to enforce the decisions)

  • Raise an army

The Confederation could not

• Tax or control trade

• Have an executive branch

  • Have judicial power

1

Although each state had 2-7 representatives depending on its population, in the end, each had this number of votes

Unanimous

To change the Confederation, all states had to come up with a ________ vote.

9

This number of states had to agree to pass a law under the Confederation.

Confederation Strengths

1. Treaty of Paris gives lots of land

   1. However, this posed problems with Native claims and multiple companies vying for a single land plot

   2. War veterans were promised land-- where? How much?

   3. Would they redistribute state land?

2. Land Ordinance of 1785

   1. Means of surveying, selling, distributing land

   2. The West land was split into 36 sections of 640 acres each per township. 1 was reserved for a school, while the other sections were auctioned off

3. Northwest Ordinance of 1787

   1. Proves steps to statehood and governing for land

      1. Congress appoints a territorial governor along with a council for the territory

      2. If 5,000 adult males settled, they could elect a legislative assembly to govern alongside the governor/council. 

         1. This legislature was awarded a non-voting representative in Congress

      3. If 60,000 people settled, they could draft a constitution and apply to be a state

         1. They were treated on equal footing as old states were

         2. Promise full religious liberty

Not profitable

In the new states, slavery was _________ because it was too cold. Congress thought slavery was too expensive and that it would go away naturally

States

This category of Confederation weaknesses included the following:

• Depend too much on state governments for enforcement

  • Dominant government in the states was unstable due to yearly reelection

• One state veto

  • One disagreeing state could block laws (usually Rhode Island)

One state veto

Due to this policy, the Confederation had lots of trouble when it came to passing laws (usually problems with Rhode Island)

Foreign Troubles

This category of Confederation weaknesses included the following:

• British troops refuse to leave in the West

• Loyalists wanted their property back

• The British ban colonies from the West Indies and restrict trade to England

  • American market flooded with goods → homespun economy goes away

    • They need to put a tariff in place, but they can’t do so due to the one state veto

• Mississippi trouble with the Spanish

  • Spanish don’t want Americans to move West → incite natives to fight

  • Barbary Pirates - Pirates in the West Indies were bribed by the British, now the Americans have trouble with them

Loyalists

During the confederation, these people wanted their property back after it was taken away during the war

West Indies

American ships are banned by the British from trading here.

Homespun Economy

This type of economy falls apart in the United States after the British flood the market with their goods

Spanish

These people incite the natives to fight the Americans because they don’t want them to expand

Barbary Pirates

Pirates in the West Indies that were bribed by the British, now the Americans have trouble with them during the Confederation Period

Economic Troubles

This Category of Confederation weaknesses included the following:

• Couldn’t tax

  • Try to print more money for revenue → inflation

  • Ask states for $11 million dollars but only get $0.5 million

  • Issues generating revenue

• State Tariff Wars

  • States put tariffs on goods coming into the state

    • Trade goes down due to tariff competitions

Revenue

The confederation government had trouble generating _____

State Tariff Wars

In this event, states put tariffs on goods coming into the state from other states. This caused trade to decrease due to higher prices

Mount Vernon Convention

Washington invites Maryland, Virginia Leaders for an agreement to not tariff each other across the Potomac

(1785)

Annapolis Convention

5 states agree that something must be done about the tariffs → Hamilton proposes the Constitutional Convention: its sole purpose to revise articles of confederation → trouble with Rhode Island

(1786)

Shay’s Rebellion

Led by Daniel Shays. Farmers were left unpaid, but they needed to pay increased mortgage and taxes because the state needed money. They seized control of the Springfield courthouse (courts don’t work → can’t send them to jail). The Confederation was too weak to do anything.

(1787-1780)

State Tariff wars, Shay’s Rebellion

These two events are the main reasons for the Constitutional Convention

Rules of Debate

• The people involved agreed to secrecy

  • Everything happened behind closed doors with no record (However, James Madison wrote from memory and later published the proceedings)

  • Didn’t want to actually revise the confederation: they made new rules and hid what they were doing

  • Hoped to increase flexibility for participants: less public pressure to change opinion or stand solidly behind one

• Each participant could only speak twice on an issue (second time only after everyone else has spoken)

  • Opportunity for everyone to speak: no one dominated the conversation

• Voted on the whole constitution instead of doing it piece by piece

  • Allowed to vote on the document as a whole and there was less disagreement

Secrecy

During the Constitutional Convention, the participants swore ____.

• They didn’t actually want to revise the Confederation, but instead decided to make new rules so they had to hide what they were doing

• This increased flexibility for participants and decreased the pressure

James Madison

This person wrote down his recollections of the Constitutional Convention and later published the proceedings after 50 years

Revise the Confederation

Originally, this was the goal of the Constitutional Convention

Twice

Each participant of the Constitutional Convention could only speak _____ on an issue in order for everyone to be able to participate

Greeks

The Constitution takes the following from this group of people:

• Idea of mixed government → everybody votes

  Democracy: “rule by many” → House of Representatives

  Monarchy: “rule by one” → President

  Aristocracy: “rule by few” → Senate

Mixed Government

This idea was taken from the Greeks by the Constitutional Convention

Republic

This idea was taken from the Romans by the Constitutional Convention

Romans

From this group of people, the Constitutional Convention took the following:

• Republic: not pure democracy

  • Supreme power lay in the citizens who elected representatives

  • Founding fathers didn’t trust the public to be right all the time (too easily swayed)

  • Came up with the electoral college + Caucus System (House chooses presidential candidates)

    • Senators chosen by state legislature

Federal System

Split between national and state governments

Montesqieu

The idea of separation and division of powers comes from this French philosopher

Connecticut Compromise

Also known as the Great Compromise, this problem arose during the Constitutional Convention about the government’s ability to tax and how states should be represented in the national government.

It was resolved by Roger Sherman’s Bicameral Legislature

Edmund Randolph

This person proposed the Virginia Plan

Virginia Plan

This plan proposed proportional representation based on population in the Constitutional Convention. It was favored by the more populous states.

William Patterson

This person proposed the New Jersey Plan

New Jersey Plan

This plan proposed equal representation of the states in the federal government. It was favored by smaller states

Roger Sherman

This person created the Bicameral Legislature, or 2 houses that appeased both sides of the Connecticut Compromise argument

Bicameral

This type of legislature consists of two houses: one with equal representation and one with proportional representation

Three-Fifths Compromise

Should slaves be counted as people?

The North said that slaves should not be counted → they cannot vote and therefore should not apply to taxation

The South said that slaves should be counted because heads were taxed and states paid taxes based on population

This compromise made each slave count as ⅗s of a person

Slave Trade Compromise

Also known as the Commerce Compromise, this issue arose from the fear of taxing exports.

It was decided that there be no export taxes ever

The South agrees to stop slave imports by 1808.

14

Which amendment takes back the 3/5ths compromise?