Articles of Confederation
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Origin
- 2nd Continental Congress
- Articles drafted in July 1776
- Debated for a year
- Not adopted until 1781--dispute over state claims to western lands. Maryland would not sign until all states gave up their claims.
- Discredited after 1786--proved to be ineffective. Still, a first attempt at cooperation and held the colonies together.
- Used until 1789, when the Constitution was signed
Provisions
Section II Sovereignty
Each state retains its sovereignty, freedom and independence
Section III Objective
The said states hereby severally enter into a firm league of friendship
with each other, for their common defense,
Section IV Equal Treatment
The free inhabitants of each of these states, paupers, vagabonds and
fugitives from Justice excepted, shall be entitled to all privileges
and immunities of free citizens in the several states; and the people
of each state shall have free ingress and regress to and from any other
state, no imposition, duties or restriction shall be laid by any state,
on the property of the united states, or either of them.
Full faith and credit shall be given in each of these states to the records, acts and judicial proceedings of the courts and magistrates of every other state.
Section V Voting
No state shall be represented in Congress by less than two, nor more
than seven Members;
In determining questions in the united states, in Congress, each state
shall have one vote.
Section VI Foreign Policy
No state without the Consent of the united states in congress
assembled, shall send any embassy to, or receive any embassy from, or
enter into any conference, agreement, or alliance or treaty with any
King, prince or state;
No state shall engage in any war without the consent of the united
states in congress assembled, unless such state be actually invaded by
enemies
Section VIII Finance
All charges of war, and all other expenses that shall be incurred for
the common defense or general welfare, and allowed by the united states
in congress assembled, shall be defrayed out of a common treasury,
which shall be supplied by the several states, in proportion to the
value of all land within each state,
The taxes for paying that proportion shall be laid and levied by the authority and direction of the legislatures of the several states within the time agreed upon by the united states in congress assembled.
Section IX Powers of the Colonial Government
(following are some of the important powers)
Make treaties
Raise armies and wage war
Establish boundaries
Coin/print money and borrow
Establish weights and measures
Section XIII Ratification and Amendment
the union shall be perpetual; nor shall any alteration at any time
hereafter be made in any of them; unless such alteration be agreed to
in a congress of the united states, and be afterwards confirmed by the
legislatures of EVERY state.
Problems
- Financing government
- Inflation caused by printing money
- Inability to collect payments from the states --had to rely on legislatures
- Carrying on commerce with other nations
- Diplomacy--ineffective treaties
- Making changes--amendment required unanimous consent
Basically
- No enforcement--no executive or judiciary
- States were sovereign
- National government operated through states
Events
- Annapolis Convention (1786)
- Only five states sent delegates
- Called to deal with trade problems
- Called for a convention to revise the Articles of Confederation
- Shay’s Rebellion
- Farmer protest against their land being sold to pay back taxes
- Led to violence
- Increased the feeling that the government wasn't really in
control
