Articles of Confederation Summary

The Articles of Confederation (1777-1787)

  • Government Structure: The U.S. government was solely a legislative body, Congress, with no executive or judiciary. States had multiple delegates but one vote. Amending the Articles required unanimous consent.

  • Congressional Powers:

    • Declare war and make peace.

    • Conduct diplomacy and treaties.

    • Coin and issue money.

    • Regulate affairs with Native American tribes.

    • Appoint army and navy officers.

  • Congressional Limitations: Congress could not:

    • Levy taxes (could only request money from states).

    • Raise its own army (could only request troops from states).

    • Regulate interstate or international trade.

    • Arbitrate disputes between states.

  • Philosophy of Weak Central Government: The Articles reflected a strong desire to diffuse power and keep it at the state level, avoiding concentrated central authority like that of the British crown.

  • Key Legislation: Northwest Ordinance:

    • Established how new territories (the Old Northwest) would be organized and admitted as states.

    • Imposed an orderly geometric grid for land division.

    • Prohibited slavery in the Northwest Territory, serving as a crucial precedent for future anti-slavery efforts and reflecting early anti-slavery impulses among some founders.

  • Shays' Rebellion (1786-1787):

    • An uprising of indebted farmers in Massachusetts led by Daniel Shays, protesting foreclosures and state taxes.

    • Highlighted the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, particularly the inability of the national government to effectively respond to internal unrest.

    • Reactions:

      • Samuel Adams: Believed rebellion against a republic (a nation of laws) was an act against the very idea of law and deserved death.

      • Thomas Jefferson: Viewed a "little rebellion now and then" as a "medicine necessary for the sound health of government."

  • Path to the Constitution:

    • Mount Vernon Conference (1785): Maryland and Virginia resolved a dispute over the Potomac River, leading to a call for broader discussion.

    • Annapolis Convention (1786): Delegates from five states met and recognized the need for a more comprehensive convention to address the deficiencies of the Articles.

    • Philadelphia Convention (1787): Called to revise the Articles but ultimately led to drafting an entirely new document: the U.S. Constitution.