SS7 Civics Ch 3.1: Early State Governments

SS7 Civics Ch 3.1: Early State Governments

I. State Constitutions

A. Even before the Declaration of Independence was signed, American colonists thought about independence. Independence would mean an end to colonial. New plans of charters government would have to replace them. The The Second Cont. Cong. urged colonists to form governments, as shall... best conduce [contribute] to the happiness and safety of their constituents [voters].

B. In, New January 1776 Hampshire became the first colony to organize as a. Leaders state wrote a : a detailed, constitution written plan for government. Within a few years, all the other former colonies had their own state constitutions.

State Governments

C. All of the state constitutions set up a similar form of government. Each state had a to make laws. Most legislature of these legislatures were. bicameral This means they were divided into two houses parts, or. The members of each house or state legislature were different chosen by methods.

D. Each state also had a. governor This official was either elected by the legislature or by the citizens. The governor s job was to the carry out laws.

E. Finally, each state had. courts Judges in the courts decided what the laws and how to apply them to meant each new situation.

Bill of Rights

F. The new state governments were based upon stated in the ideals Declaration of Independence.

G. These included the American ideals of individual rights to. life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness Most state constitutions contained a bill, or list, of rights. This list guaranteed the basic freedoms protections that the state s citizens and legal would enjoy. Among these rights were and protection of trial by jury personal property They can be traced all the way. back to the Magna Carta and the English Bill of Rights.

II. The Articles of Confederation

A. Each state was ready to govern itself when independence was declared. However, some tasks were too for individual states to big handle on their own.

B. A state could not raise and support a large, for example. Americans army realized that 13, small separate forces could not fight the mighty British army. To win the war, American leaders knew they needed a single, strong army under central control.

C. For this and other reasons, the Second Continental Congress planned for a confederation of states. A confederation is a group of individual state governments that unite for a common purpose. In 1777 the Congress wrote out these Articles of Confederation plans in the. This document became the first constitution of the United States of America.

D. The Articles of Confederation set up a league of friendship among independent states. By 1781 all 13 states had, or approved, the ratified Articles.

E. The Articles of Confederation created a unicameral legislature in which each Vote state had one. The legislature Confederation Congress was known as the. It controlled the army and had the power to foreign countries deal with on behalf of the states.

The Northwest Ordinances

F. The Confederation Congress passed two laws, or, that would have a ordinances major effect on the history of the United States. Both of these ordinances were about Old Northwest area the. This included present day, Ohio Illinois Indiana,, Wisconsin Michigan,, and part Minnesota of.

G. The first ordinance, the, Ordinance of 1785 set up a plan for surveying western lands. Surveying means a piece of land. The measuring ordinance also described how western lands were sold to be. It divided the land into townships six miles square. Each township was sections further divided into 36, each one mile square. This way of surveying is still used today.

H. The second ordinance was passed in. 1787 It was known as the. Northwest Ordinance This law set up a government for this area, which Northwest Territory Officials later was called the. used the ordinance as a to organize model governments for other new territories. The ordinance also provided a plan for admitting new states to the Union. Because of these plans, the Northwest Ordinance was perhaps the most Congress under the Articles. important action of

I. Another clause in the ordinance that would have a significant impact on U.S. history in the 1800s said: "There shall be neither slavery nor involuntary servitude in said territory." the Northwest Ordinance

J. The Ordinance of 1785 and the Northwest Ordinance helped people settle the Northwest Territory in an orderly way. During the American Revolution, only a few thousand settlers lived there. By the, their numbers had grown to 1790s about 120,000.

Weaknesses in the Articles

K. These two Northwest Territory ordinances were important laws. The Confederation Congress, however, had few other successes. Why was this so?

L. First, the Congress could not pass a nine (9) states voted for it. law unless Also, any attempt to, or amend change, the Articles required all states to agree. Such strict 13 voting rules made it hard for the Congress to do anything.

M. The power of the Confederation Congress was strictly limited. The colonists had disliked strong British rule. As a result, the 13 states gave the Confederation Congress little. power

N. Even when the Congress passed laws, it could not them. Unlike enforce constitutions, the state Articles did not allow for a governor. If a state ignored a law, Congress could do nothing. There was no one to ensure the law was obeyed.

O. The Confederation Congress also did not have the power to. The tax Articles allowed the Congress to the states for money but not ask to it. The Congress could demand not, in fact, the states to require do anything.

Shay s Rebellion

P. The Articles were too to weak deal with many of the problems facing the new country. However, the United States was able to achieve some success. The states forced the to British accept their independence. The Treaty of Paris was signed in. 1783 Ending the fighting between Great Britain and the new nation.

Q. Independence, however, did not put an end to the country s struggles. For one thing, the United States faced financial serious troubles. It was unable to collect taxes. Yet, the Confederation Congress had borrowed money to pay for the American Revolution. It had run up a debt large.

R. The State Governments had also fallen into deep debt. They taxed their citizens. heavily Meanwhile, slowed and trade people lost. jobs could not sell their Farmers crops and went into debt. Some even lost land their.

S. The states also taxed goods from other states and imported countries. These taxes hurt. trade Merchants and businesspeople suffered. The Confederation Congress had no power to fix these problems.

T. Even worse, the Congress could do nothing to the public s worries. calm Above all, Americans feared that the government could not protect them. During 1786 and 1787, riots broke out in several states.

U. Daniel Shays owed money because of heavy state taxes. courts Massachusetts threatened to take his to pay for farm his debts. Shays felt the state had no right to him for a problem it punish had created.

V. Many others agreed. Shays led about protestors, including a 1,200 African Americans in number of free, an attack on a federal that arsenal held weapons. The uprising, known as, was quickly Shay s Rebellion stopped. But it was a warning to the country. Could the government maintain law and order?

W. Many political leaders, merchants, and writers began calling for a stronger national government. "I do not conceive we can exist long as a nation, without having lodged somewhere a power which will pervade the whole Union. George Washington s papers

1787 X. In representatives, called delegates, from of the states 12 attended a meeting in. Their Philadelphia, PA plan was to, the Articles amend of Confederation.