Forming a Union

The Period of Confederation


Confederation Government

The Articles of Confederation was the name of the plan for governing the colonies and was drawn up in 1777.
The two major accomplishments of the Congress of the Confederation were the Land Ordinance of 1785 and the Northwest Ordinance of 1787.

Western Lands

Land Ordinance of 1785: Surveyors divided the land into townships along north-south and east-west lines forming six-mile squares. The townships were then divided into 36 sections of 640 acres. Each section was sold to one buyer. In each township, one section was set aside for the support of public education in the township. This became the country's policy for organizing new lands.
Northwest Ordinance: When there were 5,000 free adult males of voting age living in the territory, they could elect a legislature for deciding local matters. When there were 60,000 free settlers in an area of the territory, the people could apply to the Congress to have the area become a state. This plan provided for organizing areas that would become part of the United States in the future.

Problems of Confederation

Problems in Foreign Affairs: Great Britain broke the terms of the Treaty of Paris of 1783 by stationing forts in the Northwest Territory.
Problems at Home: Each state controlled its own trade. This caused problems as separate treaties had to be signed with each state and another country. Plus, each state taxed each others goods.

Annapolis Convention

The purpose of this meeting was to come up with ways to revise the Articles of Confederation so that the national government would be able to deal more effectively with all the various problems faced by the United States.

Shay's Rebellion

The basic cause of Shay's Rebellion was state tax laws.

Making the Constitution

Conflicting Plans of Government

States that sent delegates to the meeting in Philadelphia were all states except Rhode Island.
The Virginia Plan differed from the New Jersey Plan in that the Virginia Plan called for representation based on size; the New Jersey Plan called for equal representation for all states.

The Great Compromise

The Great Compromise settled the issue of representation by establishing two houses of Congress, combining parts of the Virginia (House of Representatives) and New Jersey (Senate) Plan.

Other Compromises

The Three-fifths Compromise stated three-fifths of the number of slaves would be counted to determine representation and taxation.
Protection provided in the Constitution for the slave trade was Congress could not interfere with the slave trade for 20 years.
Nine states had to ratify the Constitution before it went into effect.

Struggle for Ratification

Federalists and Anti-Federalists

Anti-Federalists opposed the Constitution because they wanted to keep their liberties and the rights of the states more secure, a weak central government seemed safer to them.
Patrick Henry, Samuel Adams, George Mason, and George Clinton were some of the Anti-Federalists who had been strong supporters of American independence.
Federalists wanted a strong central government.
George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay were some of the Federalists who had been strong supporters of American independence.
The purpose of The Federalist Papers was to express support for the Constitution.
Ratification
By 1790, all thirteen original states ratified the Constitution.

Bill of Rights

The first ten amendments are included in the Bill of Rights.
Among the basic rights guaranteed to all citizens in the Bill of Rights were freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of the press, and the right to a trial by jury. Also included were the right of assembly, the right to bear arms, protection from unreasonable searches and seizures, and protection from cruel and unusual punishments.

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