Second Continental Congress May 1775 Met in Philadelphia Representatives from each state
Continental Congress Went to work on a new government Articles of Confederation (Nov. 1777) Set up a confederation Ratified by all 13 colonies/states in 1781 Congress ONLY Each state gets ONE vote No executive or judicial branch
Powers of Congress Make war Make treaties Borrow money Build a military Settle disputes between the states The states promised to: Obey Send $ and troops Respect the laws of other states Allow open trade The states kept all powers not given to Congress
Successes of Articles Greatest Achievement of the Articles of Confederation Set requirements for new states Banned slavery north of Ohio River Included a plan for government
Problems with the Articles States stopped holding up to their end of the bargain Refused to supply $ and troops Made treaties with other nations Raised own military forces Taxed/Banned goods from other states Printed their own money Leading to a lack of respect by: States Citizens Foreign Countries (13 separate peace treaties) IGNORED the new government
Problems with the Articles British soldiers and navy stay in America Unpaid debts Boundaries (to the south and west) were in question STATES BICKER Over tariffs Print their own currency Ignore treaties Block trade Economies collapse, leading to Shay s Rebellion
Shays Rebellion (1786) Daniel Shays (former soldier) leads an armed uprising of farmers in Massachusetts Farmers and others lose land and possessions when they cannot pay their taxes Attack state courts and federal arsenal The rebellion showed many that the U.S. MUST have a stronger federal government Something must be done!
Weaknesses of the Articles Only a firm league of friendship Only one vote for each State, regardless of size Disliked by large states (Virginia, New York, Pennsylvania) Congress powerless to collect taxes or regulate commerce No executive power, no national court system Amendments required consent of all 13 states A 9/13 majority required to pass laws
Mount Vernon Conference (1785) Maryland and Virginia Discuss trade issues Successful Call for Conference in Annapolis Annapolis Convention (1786) Only 5 states show up Failure Call for a Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia next year
Stronger Government The call went out for a stronger, more effective central government REVISE the Articles of Confederation Delegates from 12 of 13 States meet in Philadelphia in 1787 NOT Rhode Island
Constitutional Convention HOWEVER, it quickly turned into the Constitutional Convention Instead of revising the Articles, it would replace them with something new
6 Basic Principles New Constitution contains six key ideas: 1. Popular Sovereignty 2.Limited Government 3.Separation of Powers 4.Checks & Balances 5.Judicial Review 6.Federalism
Popular Sovereignty The people are the only source of governmental power and government can only exist with their consent
Limited Government Government is limited in what it can do and each individual has rights that government cannot take away
Separation of Powers The executive, legislative, and judicial branches must be divided among three independent and coequal branches
Checks and Balances System of overlapping the three branches of government to permit each to check the actions of the others
Judicial Review Power of the courts to determine the constitutionality of the actions of the legislative and executive branches
Federalism Power is divided between the national and state governments The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people -10 th Amendment