The most important and prominent example of a success established by the Confederation Government was the resolution of a series of territorial disputes among the states, and the establishment of a process by which territories could eventually be admitted as new states, equal to the original 13, under the Land Ordinances of 1784 and 1785. The Confederation Government demanded claim of the Western states previously occupied by larger states in Congress. The Confederation controlled enough land to permit Congress to begin making policy for the Western lands. The Ordinances of 1784 and 1785 divided Western territory into ten self governing districts, each of which were given powers by the Confederation Government to “petition congress for statehood”
As Armitage states “Each of the 13 states had a vote in the weak national Congress while a vote of 9 states was required in order to pass any laws and a unanimous vote of all 13 states was required for the Articles to be amended.” This gave all of the new states extreme power to make their own laws and pass them while defanging the new central government. It could not raise an army, collect taxes, regulate trade between the states or foreign trade markets, or force states to follow laws it set. The Constituion addresses these weaknesses by declaring that the new Federal Government had enumerated powers that were explicitly listed in Article One, Section 8 of the
UNIT 3 QUEST Please answer the questions. You may use your book and your notes to help you, but that is all. This is not an internet quiz! This is NOT a group assignment, it is individual. It is worth 35 points (each question is worth 5 points).
Back in 1786, the United States consisted of thirteen states generally bound by the Articles of Confederation, each state governed its own matters separately. A group of state representative served as the National Congress, but when they had to settle matters between themselves, or solve problems on a national level, they had difficulties agreeing on solutions which left the nation weak. The government had no power to build the military for national defense. In 1786, Alexander Hamilton called a meeting in Maryland to resolve trade problems among the states. An important event encouraged a wider interest in government reform.
Internally, laws being enforced to the states was a huge issue. Each of the 13 states doesn't think as a nation because they only think about what would be best for them and not the nation. Because of this many laws that miraculously passed in Congress were mainly ignored by the states unless it benefited them. On another note, as seen in document E, a map by John Blum, the larger states appealed to the Congress just this once to cede their lands in the west for the Congress to give out evenly. Furthermore, the letter from the Rhode Island Assembly to Congress shows yet another flaw in the AoC.
The Impact of the Northwest Ordinance The impact of the Northwest Ordinance was significant. It established the way that the United States would expand west. The document helped set guidelines as to how a territory would be divided into states and then enter into the Union. Thomas Jefferson played a large part in the idea of the ordinance.
The Articles of Confederation gave states more power which lead to a weak central government. The Articles of Confederation has some weaknesses because it because the central government lacked the power to impose taxes. Additionally, the Articles of Confederation made it hard to enforce the laws which caused the need for a Constitution Convention to be held since there was extensive debt and no control over the people to keep them in line with the laws. Federalists wanted a strong Central government by having the constitution ratified as well as a system of checks and balances. Anti-Federalists wanted the bill of rights passed to guarantee safety of right for citizens.
Ratifying the Confederation Period Thanks to our victory in the Revolutionary War, America finally became an independent nation. Subsequently, we created our first official government, The Articles of Confederation. When Congress declared war on Britain in 1776, it also called out for a plan to help the states cooperate in the war effort. Franklin presented a plan of Confederation; in which Congress was given the power of planting new colonies when necessary, and implying control over the West.
As it applies to the Articles of Confederation there were many weaknesses in the way it went about governing the United States. For one, the loose federation of the states was too weak to act as a foundation to be considered or act as a central government. In addition the state legislatures had too much power and in turn had the ability to influence economic issues of all kinds. This strong legislature is the same one that allowed for mob ruling and actions by debtors. The Articles of confederation were also weak because the required congress to have all 13 colonies in agreement when a new tax was to be passed.
Population increased in the area west of the Appalachians and as a result Congress needed to find a way to divvy up the land. Several ordinances were put in place to ensure the land was divided properly. The first was the Ordinance of 1784 which divided the territory into 10 districts. Each could eventually petition for statehood once their populations equaled that of the smallest existing state. Next the Ordinance of 1785 surveyed the lands north of the Ohio river and divided them into equal rectangular townships.
After their triumph in the American Revolution, colonists came together as one to forge the United States of America and to reorganize the colonies after the war. The Articles of the Confederation were America’s first form of self-government. During the time period in which they were in use, there effectiveness were tested through events dealing with foreign relations, economic conditions and the settlement of western lands. Although the Articles experienced some success in dealing with western land, the general effectiveness of the Articles was poor and created potential problems for the young nation. Under the Articles of Confederation its powers included conducting foreign relations, settling disputes between states, controlling maritime
The Articles of Confederation was the colonies first plan for government during the American Revolution. However, it weakened the unity of the government and the effects of this were events such as, the Treaty of Paris 1783, the Annapolis Convention, and Shay’s Rebellion, that caused leaders to want to revise the Articles. It separated the thirteen states into their own territory under congress and there was no real federal influence. In Article III, it states, “The States hereby severally enter into a firm league of friendship with each other, for their common defense, the security of their liberties, and their mutual and general warfare.” The Articles of Confederation were formed around this idea, to have as little influence on the colonies
{Jason Wilson} The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 was an important stepping stone for the United States after winning the American Revolution in 1783. This Ordinance created rules and regulations for the continued expansion of the United States of America set up by the Articles of Confederation Congress. The “Northwest” refers to what is known today as; Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin and a small part of Minnesota. This gave the federal government a source of revenue that was badly needed in light of the Articles of Confederation. These territories were given the standards to which they would become states and gain representation in the federal government.
The Articles of the Confederation was the first form of government created by the Continental Congress, which developed an alliance between the thirteen states. Congress was a single-chamber legislature which allowed for each state to possess the same amount of authority no matter the size of the community. The Constitution
The Articles of Confederation was an agreement among the thirteen original states of the United States that served as the first constitution. The Articles had first been introduced by Richard Henry Lee in the Second Continental Congress. Although the Articles of Confederation has made its contributions throughout history, the Articles, however, did not last very long and had been proven inadequate from the very start. I agree with this statement based on the examples and analysis of the Constitution I will soon provide. The Articles of Confederation were written during a time when the American people feared a strong national government.
By writing a new constitution, the farmers were able to address the problems which the nation faced under the Articles of Confederation. The most important issues were addressed by the establishment of a stronger national government that was selected by the citizens. Unlike the Articles of Confederation, were each state maintain its own sovereign rule, each state was represented equally in Congress through the representatives elected by its citizen. Therefore, power was no longer placed in a single institution such as the states or one overall governing body, but rather in the hands of the people. This government had the power to tax, regulate trade and commerce, and coin a national currency with a majority vote versus a unanimous vote.