June

7, 1776- Congress creates a plan of Confederation

A loose organization of states with

a central government consisting of a unicameral Congress

Americas

first written form of government was adopted in November 1777 and ratified by the last of the states (MD) by March 1, 1781
Reason for the delay- Land rights in the West The area between the Appalachians and the Mississippi River

 The

Continental Congress acted as central government for America without constitutional authority from 1776 (Declaration of Independence until 1781 (Ratification of the Articles of Confederation)
Issued the Declaration of Independence Advised the states to form governments Conducted the war against the British

 During

the Revolution the quality of Congress declined as most returned to their state governments to make those governments stronger Congress faced many problems like the war, avoiding capture, too few members to pass laws, late arriving members, members leaving when they felt tired or had something else to do

 Established

the army, navy, and marines Appointed Washington as head of army Kept the army supplied Created a diplomatic corps who won a great victory when France recognized America as an independent nation and entered the war Created a postal service Created the Articles of Confederation

Financing

the war

States did not give them the power to

tax
Printed

non-backed paper money

Useless as the states did not accept it

 Confederacy-

A loose organization of states in which the

central government consists of a unicameral congress and the states are more powerful than the central government No Executive Branch and no Federal Courts
Memories of a tyrannical king prevented the creation of an executive to oversee the government

 Conduct

foreign affairs Send ambassadors to foreign countries Negotiate treaties Operate a national postal system Control and supply the army Coin money Establish standard weights and measures

Department

of Foreign Affairs of War

of Finance of the Post Office

Ambassadors Treaties
Department

Control and supply the army, navy, and

marines
Department Department

Oversight of national finances

No

Executive Branch to enforce the laws

Federal Court System to hear cases that arose between or among the states

No

Major

decisions required approval by at least 9 states

One

year terms of office for congressmen did not allow for expertise in decision-making the power to tax its own citizens directly
money that they printed was worthless and not accepted in the states
No Federal currency

Lacked
Paper

 Could

not regulate trade by the states with other nations

No Federal import taxes

Could

not protect its citizens abroad

Needed

all states to unanimously vote to make changes to the Articles of Confederation

 New

land policy that was the only real success of the Articles of Confederation American land in the West into territories
Subdivided into townships that were six

Divided

miles square Further subdivided into 36 sections one square mile each 16th section was set aside for public education

 Requirements

for statehood were

created
Initially- Congress appointed a governor, a

secretary, and three judges at the creation of a territory When the territory reached 5,000 adult white males it became eligible to elect a representative legislature When the territory reached 60,000 adult white males it became eligible for application for statehood

 The

first territory established west of the Appalachians was the Northwest Territory
Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and

Ohio Slavery was outlawed Provision for public education