Articles of Confederation (APUSH 3.7)

Summary

This video explores the Articles of Confederation, the first national government of the United States. It highlights the formation of a limited central government after the American Revolution, with most power in the legislative branch. The video discusses key issues like the lack of a national tax system, interstate commerce regulation, and foreign relations challenges. While the Articles had some successes, like organizing westward expansion through the Northwest Ordinance, problems like Shays' Rebellion exposed their weaknesses, ultimately leading to calls for a stronger federal government and the creation of the U.S. Constitution.

Takeaways

• 📜 The Articles of Confederation were the first national government of the U.S., created after the American Revolution to unify the independent states.
• 💡 The Articles created a weak central government with only one legislative branch, no executive or judicial branches, to avoid tyranny.
• 🏛️ Each state had one vote in the unicameral legislative branch, and changes to the Articles required unanimous consent from all 13 states.
• 💰 The federal government under the Articles couldn't tax, regulate trade, or raise revenue, leaving the country in financial trouble post-revolution.
• 📉 Many states printed their own money, leading to inflation, and there were no federal mechanisms to regulate interstate commerce or deal with debt.
• 🌍 International issues arose, such as Britain still occupying forts in the U.S. and Spain closing the Mississippi River to American trade.
• 📚 The Northwest Ordinances, passed under the Articles, organized western territories and banned slavery in the Northwest, laying groundwork for statehood.
• ⚔️ Shays' Rebellion in the 1780s highlighted the weaknesses of the Articles, as the federal government couldn't raise an army to deal with the unrest.
• 😱 The rebellion scared the elites and demonstrated the need for a stronger federal government, as the Articles couldn't handle internal conflicts.
• 📜 The Articles of Confederation were eventually replaced by the U.S. Constitution, which created a stronger central government with multiple branches.

Q & A

What was the main reason for creating the Articles of Confederation?

The Articles of Confederation were created to unify the newly independent states and establish a government based on the principles fought for during the American Revolution, with a focus on limiting government power.

Why did the states give so much power to the legislative branch under the Articles of Confederation?

The states gave more power to the legislative branch because they had just freed themselves from what they viewed as an abusive and tyrannical government, and they wanted a system where the government would be accountable to the people.

How many branches of government did the Articles of Confederation establish?

The Articles of Confederation established only one branch of government, the legislative branch, because the states were concerned about creating a strong executive that might resemble a monarchy.

What were some key limitations of the government under the Articles of Confederation?

Some key limitations included the lack of an executive branch, no national court system, and the inability of the national government to tax or regulate interstate commerce.

What challenges did the United States face under the Articles of Confederation in the 1780s?

The U.S. faced economic difficulties, including debt, inflation, and the inability to raise revenue, as well as international challenges like British forts in the Northwest and Spain closing the Mississippi River to U.S. trade.

What was the Northwest Ordinance, and why was it significant?

The Northwest Ordinance was passed under the Articles of Confederation to organize the settlement of western territories and outline the process for admitting new states to the Union. It also promoted public education, protected private property, and banned slavery in the Northwest Territory.

What was Shay's Rebellion, and why did it cause concern among the elites?

Shay's Rebellion was an uprising of farmers in Massachusetts who were protesting high taxes and debt. It alarmed the elites because it seemed like mob rule and exposed the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation in handling internal unrest.

How did the Articles of Confederation influence the creation of the U.S. Constitution?

The Articles of Confederation's limitations, particularly in terms of economic control, interstate commerce, and defense, led to increased calls for a stronger central government and eventually the drafting of the U.S. Constitution.

What was the process for admitting new states under the Northwest Ordinance?

Under the Northwest Ordinance, once a territory reached a certain number of settlers, it could apply for statehood and would be admitted to the Union on equal terms with the original 13 states.

What role did the Articles of Confederation play during the American Revolution?

The Articles of Confederation provided a framework for the central government to lead the colonies through the American Revolution and transition from being colonies to becoming independent states.

Outlines

00:00

📜 Formation of the Articles of Confederation

This paragraph introduces the Articles of Confederation as the first national government formed after the American Revolution. It highlights the reasons behind creating limited state and federal governments, emphasizing how the legislative branch was favored over the executive. States retained much of their power, leading to issues such as the lack of a national executive or judicial branch. The national government, under the Articles, had limited powers, including the inability to tax or regulate interstate commerce, making it difficult to address post-revolutionary challenges.

05:01

📉 Economic Struggles and Foreign Tensions under the Articles

The paragraph details the numerous problems faced under the Articles of Confederation, particularly in the 1780s. The U.S. was financially unstable, unable to raise revenue due to its lack of taxing authority. Individual states could tax and regulate trade, creating conflicts and economic chaos, like inflation from state-printed money. Additionally, foreign threats loomed, such as British military presence and Spain's closure of the Mississippi River. The absence of a national army and the inability to enforce treaties highlighted the Articles' weaknesses in managing foreign relations and domestic stability.

Keywords

💡Articles of Confederation

The Articles of Confederation was the first national government structure of the United States, created to unify the newly independent states after the American Revolution. It established a weak central government with limited power, reflecting the fear of centralized authority, which was a response to the colonists' experiences with British tyranny.

💡Legislative Branch

Under the Articles of Confederation, the legislative branch was the sole branch of government, holding most of the political power. This was a deliberate decision to ensure that the government remained accountable to the people, in contrast to the executive overreach that the colonists had experienced under British rule.

💡Sovereignty

Sovereignty refers to the authority of states to govern themselves. Under the Articles of Confederation, individual states retained their sovereignty, freedom, and independence, which limited the power of the national government and led to difficulties in areas such as trade, finance, and defense.

💡Unicameral Legislature

The Articles of Confederation established a unicameral (single-house) legislature where each state had one vote. This structure reflected the desire for equal representation among the states, but also made it difficult to pass laws and amendments, as it required a supermajority or unanimous consent.

💡Shays' Rebellion

Shays' Rebellion was an armed uprising in 1786-1787 led by farmers in Massachusetts, protesting high taxes and economic injustices. The rebellion highlighted the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, as the federal government lacked the authority and resources to address the crisis, leading to calls for a stronger central government.

💡Northwest Ordinance

The Northwest Ordinance was a set of laws passed under the Articles of Confederation to manage the settlement and organization of territories in the western U.S. It established the process for admitting new states to the union and banned slavery in the Northwest Territory, setting a precedent for future state admissions.

💡State Constitutions

After the American Revolution, many states created their own constitutions, which often limited the power of the executive branch and placed most authority in the hands of the legislative branch. These constitutions reflected the colonists' desire to avoid the concentration of power, which they associated with tyranny.

💡Supermajority

A supermajority is a requirement for a higher-than-normal threshold of votes to pass laws or make decisions. Under the Articles of Confederation, passing a law required 9 out of 13 states to agree, which made governing difficult due to the high level of consensus needed.

💡Interstate Commerce

Interstate commerce refers to trade between states. Under the Articles of Confederation, the national government lacked the authority to regulate interstate commerce, leading to economic difficulties as states could impose tariffs on each other and print their own money, contributing to inflation and trade barriers.

💡Constitutional Convention

The Constitutional Convention was held in 1787 in response to the perceived failures of the Articles of Confederation, including the inability to manage economic issues and maintain national security. The convention ultimately led to the drafting of the U.S. Constitution, which replaced the Articles and created a stronger federal government.

Highlights

The Articles of Confederation was the first attempt at a national government, with a central government that had limited power.

Many new state constitutions, post-American Revolution, placed power into the legislative branch to limit government control.

The Articles of Confederation created a one-branch government with no executive branch or national court system.

Each state had one vote in the unicameral legislative branch, and any amendments to the Articles required unanimous consent from all 13 states.

To pass a law under the Articles, it required a supermajority, or 9 out of 13 states, making lawmaking extremely difficult.

Under the Articles, individual states were sovereign, retaining their own freedom and independence, which caused various issues in governance.

The Articles did not give the national government the power to tax directly, leading to financial difficulties for the new nation.

Congress could not regulate interstate trade or commerce, leading to economic problems, including tariffs between states and inflation.

Britain continued to occupy forts in the Northwest Territory, and Spain closed the Mississippi River to U.S. trade, but the Articles could not address these issues effectively.

Despite its weaknesses, the Articles of Confederation successfully governed the transition from colonies to the United States during and after the American Revolution.

The Northwest Ordinances, passed under the Articles, organized the settlement of western territories and established a process for statehood.

The Northwest Ordinances also banned slavery in the Northwest Territory and promoted public education.

Shay's Rebellion highlighted the weaknesses of the Articles, as the federal government could not fund a military to respond to the uprising.

The rebellion scared the elites and demonstrated that the Articles were not capable of effectively governing the new nation.

Shay's Rebellion led to increased calls for a stronger federal government, eventually resulting in the replacement of the Articles of Confederation with the U.S. Constitution.

Transcripts

what's up beautiful people welcome to

jost productions today we're taking a

look at the articles of confederation

one of the most significant developments

of the revolutionary period was the

formation of a new government based upon

the principles fought for during the

american revolution you might recall in

order to limit the power of the

government many new state constitutions

place power into the hands of the

legislative branch remember the

colonists had just got out of what was

in their mind an abusive tyrannical

relationship so when they go creating

new state governments they deliberately

drafted state constitutions with very

limited power many of the new state

governments included state bill of

rights seven of the thirteen did most

state governments minimized or

eliminated the role of the executive

branch not a lot of power delegated to

the governors of states and most

political power will be held in the

legislative branch of the states the

legislative branch was often viewed as

the most important branch of government

this is where laws would be made and the

idea behind this was the legislative

branch was filled with representatives

of the people of that state power held

in the legislative branch would mean the

government would be held countable by

the people or at least the white male

property owners that could vote in each

state the articles of confederation is

the first attempt at a national

government and it is under the articles

that members of the second continental

congress sought to unify the newly

independent states the former colonists

created a central government with

limited power some examples of limits to

government power under the articles

include the articles created a one

branch government there was not an

executive branch under the articles just

in case you are wondering today we have

three branches of government the

articles had one there was not an

executive branch under the articles they

were very worried about creating a

position that would exercise power like

a king would also there was no national

court system each state had one vote in

the unicameral or one house legislative

branch and changes or amendments to the

articles required unanimous consent of

all 13 states that's going to be super

hard to get and to pass a law it

required 9 out of 13 states to agree

that is what is called a super majority

and guess what that is also super hard

to achieve under the articles individual

states were sovereign so each state

retained its sovereignty freedom and

independence problems begin to emerge

when following the american revolution

difficulties over international trade

finances interstate commerce foreign

relations and internal unrest led to

calls for a stronger central government

that's a lot of problems in the 1780s

the economy of the us was a hot mess the

new country was in debt with no real way

to raise revenue you might be wondering

what if we taxed well under the articles

the national government had zero

authority to tax directly states had the

ability to tax but not the federal

government in addition congress could

not regulate interstate trade or

commerce individual states could impose

tariffs on other states and states

printed their own money many states were

printing money after the american

revolution in an attempt to pay down

their post-revolutionary debt which

basically led to a whole bunch of

inflation the new nation faced many

threats from foreign countries as well

britain still occupied forts in the

northwest territory and traded weapons

with native americans that were then

used against americans in the frontier

and since the articles of confederation

can't raise money to deal with this

violation of the treaty of paris there

was no national army to really deal with

this issue spain stopped allowing the us

to use the port of new orleans and close

the mississippi river to u.s trade in

1784 and people in the frontier like in

places like tennessee and kentucky

really relied on access to the

mississippi and it was shut down now we

can't leave this video being a debbie

downer about the articles of

confederation don't tell my wife or any

debbie's you know that i'm using the

name debbie in this way but there were

some positive things under the articles

of confederation the articles did get

the colonists through the american

revolution that transition from

colonists to citizens of the united

states occurred under the articles of

confederation now that england was no

longer in charge the proclamation of

1763 was no longer keeping settlers from

moving westward during the 1780s as

individuals headed west congress under

the articles of confederation had to

figure out how they were going to govern

this new territory and how new territory

may enter the union as a new state the

northwest ordinances was passed by

congress under the articles of

confederation to deal with these exact

issues and basically it provided for the

organized settlement of territory in the

west and outlined the process for

statehood when i talk about the

northwest ordinances please note there

are a bunch of different laws passed but

the importance of it can be summed up as

follows one thing done under the

northwest ordinances was the admission

process for new states was established

once a territory reached a certain

number of settlers the area would be

eligible for statehood the state would

enter the union as an equal state to the

original 13. the northwest ordinance not

only promoted public education and

protected private property but also

banned slavery in the northwest

territory these states would eventually

be the free states you see on the map

but while this is happening new slave

states would enter the union in the

south this admission of free and slave

states would eventually increase

tensions between the north and south but

that will save that for another time

foreshadowing and often overlooked when

looking at the northwest ordinance is

the fact though american settlement in

this region increased tensions with

native american tribes finally we need

to take another turn to negative town

shae's rebellion some background many

farmers were in debt in the 1780s many

of these farmers had fought the american

revolution and it was very difficult to

pay back the debt after the revolution

and many of those in debt ended up in

prison although the federal government

could not tax states pass their own

taxes and with all this money being

printed inflation became a big problem

daniel shays a veteran of the american

revolution and fellow farmer in debt

began a movement to attempt to stop the

foreclosure of farms to lighten the

taxes and to provide relief to the

farmers of western massachusetts

unfortunately for daniel and the farmers

their demands and petitions were ignored

by the state legislature in boston so a

group of angry farmers organized a march

to the armory to get some guns to try to

get the government of massachusetts to

listen to their demands these demands

were ignored and as a result shea's

rebellion was a revolt by back country

farmers around 4 000 of them against

taxes imposed by a distant government in

boston this situation scared the elite

you got angry american revolution

veterans farmers making demands with

guns for some this seemed like mob rule

or something like stamp back 2.0 but

this time the bad guys are the americans

or to sum up

so why is this important as mentioned

shia's rebellion created a fear amongst

the property classes there was no way

the articles could respond they can't

fund the military and shia's rebellion

was actually put down by a state and

privately funded militia shea's

rebellion led to increased calls for a

stronger federal government and for many

the rebellion demonstrated the

weaknesses of the articles of

confederation it seemed like the

articles were not capable of governing

and some began to ask maybe we need a

new government the articles of

confederation the first national

government of the us will eventually be

replaced by the constitution and that's

what we're gonna cover in our next video

the constitutional convention until next

time thank you so much for watching this

joe's productions video have a beautiful

day peace