The ARTICLES of CONFEDERATION [APUSH Review Unit 3 Topic 7 (3.7)] Period 3: 1754-1800

Summary

In this episode of Heimler's History, we explore the Articles of Confederation, America's first constitution, ratified in 1781. It was heavily influenced by state constitutions, focusing power in the legislative branch to ensure government accountability to the people. The Articles lacked an executive branch and a national supreme court, making it rigid and difficult to amend. Key legislation under the Articles included the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, which abolished slavery in the Northwest Territory and provided a path to statehood. However, economic struggles and events like Shays's Rebellion highlighted the need for a stronger federal government, leading to discussions about drafting a new Constitution.

Takeaways

• 📜 The United States' first Constitution was the Articles of Confederation, which was ratified in 1781.
• 🏛️ The Articles of Confederation was heavily influenced by state constitutions, emphasizing legislative power.
• 🌐 There was no executive branch or president, and no national supreme court under the Articles of Confederation.
• ⚖️ Each state had one vote in the legislature and veto power over changes to the Articles, requiring a super-majority for amendments.
• 🚫 The Articles were rigid and difficult to change, reflecting a fear of centralized power post-independence.
• 🌳 The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 was a significant law under the Articles, promoting public education and abolishing slavery in the Northwest Territory.
• 🏘️ The Northwest Ordinance provided a process for western territories to gain population and apply for statehood.
• 💸 Economic hardships, particularly for farmers, led to issues like Shays's Rebellion, highlighting the Articles' inadequacies.
• 🛡️ Shays's Rebellion underscored the lack of a strong federal government to respond to crises, as there was no president or federal army.
• 🔄 The realization of the Articles' flaws led to discussions about drafting a new Constitution to replace it.

Q & A

What was the first constitution of the United States known as?

The first constitution of the United States was known as the Articles of Confederation.

Why was a new constitution needed after the Declaration of Independence from Britain?

A new constitution was needed to organize political authority in the newly independent states.

How did the Articles of Confederation influence the distribution of power within the government?

The Articles of Confederation placed power primarily in the legislative branch, reflecting the influence of state constitutions that focused political power in the legislature.

What was the role of the legislative branch in the government under the Articles of Confederation?

The legislative branch was responsible for making laws, and it was directly answerable to the states and the people.

Why did the framers of the Articles of Confederation avoid creating a strong executive branch?

They wanted to avoid the concentration of power in one person, reminiscent of the monarchy they had just separated from.

What was significant about the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 under the Articles of Confederation?

The Northwest Ordinance promoted public education, protected private property, abolished slavery in the Northwest Territory, and provided a process for unorganized territories to achieve statehood.

What economic issues faced American farmers after the Revolutionary War, leading to discontent?

Many farmers had fallen into debt during the war and struggled to repay it due to inflation and new taxes, leading to widespread discontent.

Who was Daniel Shays and why is he significant in the context of the Articles of Confederation?

Daniel Shays was a farmer who led a rebellion of angry farmers in Massachusetts. His rebellion highlighted the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, as there was no federal government or army to respond effectively.

What was the immediate response of the Massachusetts government to the threat posed by Shays' Rebellion?

The Massachusetts government sought federal assistance to quell the rebellion, but due to the lack of a strong federal government under the Articles, they had to rely on their own militia.

What was the ultimate outcome of Shays' Rebellion and its impact on the Articles of Confederation?

Shays' Rebellion was suppressed, but it demonstrated the need for a stronger central government, leading to discussions about drafting a new Constitution.

Outlines

00:00

📜 Introduction to the Articles of Confederation

This paragraph introduces the topic of the first Constitution of the United States, the Articles of Confederation. It clarifies a common misconception that the current U.S. Constitution is the original one, highlighting that the Articles of Confederation preceded it. The need for a constitution arose after the Declaration of Independence in 1776, leading to the ratification of the Articles in 1781. The paragraph also explains the influence of state constitutions on the Articles, emphasizing the concentration of political power in the legislative branch to ensure government accountability to the people.

Keywords

💡Articles of Confederation

The Articles of Confederation was the first constitution of the United States, ratified in 1781. It was a governing document that established a weak central government with most of the power residing in the states. The video explains that it was influenced by state constitutions and lacked a strong executive or judicial branch, which led to its eventual replacement by the current U.S. Constitution.

💡Legislative Branch

The legislative branch of a government is responsible for making laws. In the context of the video, it is highlighted that under the Articles of Confederation, the legislative branch was the most powerful part of the government, with each state having one vote and significant power to veto changes, reflecting a desire to keep government power answerable to the people.

💡Super-majority

A super-majority refers to a requirement for a vote that is greater than half of the total members of a legislative body, typically two-thirds or three-quarters. In the video, it is mentioned that for any changes to the Articles of Confederation, a super-majority of 9 out of 13 states was needed, illustrating the document's rigidity and difficulty in amending.

💡Northwest Ordinance of 1787

The Northwest Ordinance was a significant law passed under the Articles of Confederation that regulated the territories west of the original 13 states. The video points out that it was responsible for promoting public education, protecting private property, and abolishing slavery in the Northwest Territory, as well as providing a path for these territories to achieve statehood.

💡Shays's Rebellion

Shays's Rebellion was an armed uprising in Massachusetts in 1786-1787, led by Daniel Shays, which was a response to the economic hardships faced by farmers after the Revolutionary War. The video uses this event to illustrate the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, particularly the lack of a strong federal government to respond to crises.

💡Monarchy Hangover

The term 'monarchy hangover' in the video refers to the residual fear and aversion to centralized power that Americans had after breaking away from British rule. This influenced the design of the Articles of Confederation, which deliberately limited the power of a central executive to prevent the rise of another monarchy.

💡State Constitutions

State constitutions are the fundamental legal documents that establish the framework for state governments in the United States. The video explains that the Articles of Confederation were largely influenced by these state constitutions, which tended to concentrate power in the legislative branches to ensure government accountability to the people.

💡Westward Migration

Westward migration refers to the movement of people from the original 13 states towards the western territories of North America. The video discusses how this migration led to conflicts with Native Americans and issues of land settlement, which the Northwest Ordinance was designed to address.

💡Federal Government

The federal government in the context of the video refers to the central government of the United States under the Articles of Confederation. It is described as weak and ineffective, particularly in its inability to respond to crises like Shays's Rebellion, which highlighted the need for a stronger central authority.

💡Economic Hardship

Economic hardship refers to the financial difficulties faced by individuals or groups, often due to factors such as debt, inflation, or unemployment. The video discusses how many American farmers experienced economic hardship after the Revolutionary War, contributing to the unrest that led to Shays's Rebellion.

💡Rebellion

A rebellion is an act of defiance against authority or government. In the video, the term is used to describe Shays's Rebellion, which was a significant event that demonstrated the inadequacies of the Articles of Confederation and contributed to the push for a new constitution.

Highlights

The United States had a first Constitution known as the Articles of Confederation before the current Constitution.

The Articles of Confederation was ratified in 1781 to organize political authority in the newly independent states.

The Articles were influenced by existing state constitutions that focused power in the legislative branch.

The legislative branch was chosen to hold power to ensure government accountability to the people.

The Articles did not provide for an executive branch or a president, reflecting a wariness of centralized power.

Each state in the legislature had one vote and veto power over changes to the Articles.

A super-majority of 9 out of 13 states was required for any amendments to the Articles, making changes difficult.

The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 was a significant law under the Articles, promoting public education and private property rights.

The Northwest Ordinance abolished slavery in the Northwest Territory.

It provided a process for unorganized western territories to achieve statehood.

Shays's Rebellion highlighted the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and the need for a stronger federal government.

Economic hardships, particularly for farmers, led to the rebellion and calls for government assistance.

The lack of a president and federal army under the Articles was exposed during Shays's Rebellion.

The rebellion and the potential for similar uprisings prompted discussions about drafting a new Constitution.

The video concludes with an invitation to subscribe for more educational content on AP U.S. History.

Transcripts

Well hey there and welcome back to Heimler’s  History. We’ve been going through Unit 3 of the  

AP U.S. History curriculum, and in this video  we’re going to look at the first Constitution  

of the United States. What you talking  about, first Constitution? This is America,  

we only got one Constitution, son. I’m  afraid that’s not true. The Constitution  

we know and love today is in fact our second  Constitution. Our first constitution was known  

as the Articles of Confederation, and we  fixin to talk about it. Let’s get to it.

Okay, so the Articles of Confederation.  You may recall that on July 4,  

1776 it was made public that the Continental  Congress had agreed to declare independence  

from Britain. And that meant that the  Americans were now officially separated  

from the authority of the British government.  Thus, they needed a constitution to organize  

political authority in the new states. And  the product of that need was the Articles  

of Confederation which was ratified in 1781 to  become the new governing document of the nation.

Now, the Articles didn’t drop down out of the  sky fully formed and without precedent. No,  

they were actually in large part influenced by  existing state constitutions. So before and during  

the Revolution, state governments had formed their  own constitutional governments, and the thing you  

really need to know about these governments is  that they largely focused political power into  

the legislative branch. Now in case you don’t know  what that means, let me splain it up real nice for  

you. The legislative branch of a government is the  one that’s responsible for making the laws. And in  

the state governments, the legislative branch  consisted of representatives of the people. So  

by placing power here, it meant that they wanted  the power of government answerable to the people.

So as I mentioned before, the Articles  of Confederation was ratified in 1781,  

and the folks who created this governing  document were many of the same folks who  

had created the state constitutions. So when  it came to a governing document for the nation,  

they likewise placed power in the legislative  branch. They didn’t want to invest too much  

power in an executive, or president, because  they still kind of had a monarchy hangover.  

So in order to avoid the consolidation  of power in one person, they put the  

power in the legislature which was directly  answerable to the states, and thus, the people.

Now, to that end, the Articles of Confederation  did not even provide for an executive. Like,  

there was NO president to speak of. Furthermore  there was no national supreme court. All the  

power was in the legislature, and every state  represented in that legislature had precisely one  

vote. Additionally, each state had veto power over  any changes that could be made to the Articles.  

And supposing there were no vetoes, the Articles  still said that for any changes to take place,  

9 out of 13 states needed to agree. Now  that is called a super-majority, and in  

case you have no idea how politics  works, it is very difficult to achieve  

said super-majority. So all this to say, it was  a very rigid and nigh unto unchangeable document.

Now, one of the most immediate problems the  new government was facing was with regards  

to westward migration. As Americans  continued to push west for settlement,  

they continued running into American  Indians who resisted them. Not only that,  

people were just going into the western  territory and squatting willy nilly all over  

the land. And so to regulate all this western  territory, the federal government passed what  

may be the only really good law on the books  under the Articles of Confederation, namely,  

the Northwest Ordinance of 1787. Now  this piece of legislation did many things  

including the promotion of public education, and  provisions for protection of private property,  

but arguably the two most significant things  it did were as follows. First, it abolished  

slavery in the Northwest Territory. Second, it  provided an orderly means by which the unorganized  

territories in the west could get themselves a  population and apply for statehood in the union.

Now, as I said, the Northwest Ordinance was  probably the best thing that came out of this weak  

federal government. Probably the worst thing  to happen to it was Shays’s Rebellion. And it  

was really this rebellion that proved  to many Americans that the Articles  

of Confederation was a flawed document  in need of replacing. So what happened?

Well, by the mid 1780s the American economy was  kind of a hot mess. This was especially true with  

the nation’s farmers. Many of them had fallen  into debt while they were off fighting in the  

Revolutionary War. And when they returned to their  farms they were having loads of trouble paying  

back those debts because of inflation and new  taxes that were upon them. They even petitioned  

the state and federal government for relief, but  they had no luck getting any meaningful response.  

And you can imagine why they’d be angry.  After all, they were off fighting America’s  

revolutionary war, and when they returned  home they were in danger of losing everything.

Now as it happened, a man named Daniel  Shays from Massachusetts was one of those  

angry farmers. He ended up gathering  a militia of about a thousand folks,  

and headed down to the town arsenal to arm  themselves. Now it wasn’t long before the  

Massachusetts militia stopped them and crushed  the uprising. So why is this important?

Because, when Massachusetts saw all these  angry farmers bearing down on them, they  

picked up the phone and called the president  to send federal troops to help them. [dials  

phone] HELP. But guess what, no one answered  because there WAS no president under the Articles,  

nor was there any federal army to send. And so it  was really this little rebellion in Massachusetts,  

and the possibility of other rebellions like it,  that showed everyone the weakness of the Articles.

And so that’s when local and  federal leaders began to whisper  

about the possibility of crafting  a new Constitution to replace the  

Articles. But we’ll have to wait for  the next video to see what they did.

Alright, that’s what you need to know about Unit  3 Topic 7 of the AP U.S. History curriculum. And  

if you need help getting an A in your class and  a five on your exam in May, then click here and  

If you want me to keep making these videos  then subscribe and come along. Heimler out.