Articles of Confederation: How effective were the Articles of Confederation in solving the problems of the new nation?
Tasks:
- Review from previous class the structure of the Articles of Confederation, as well as the powers it does and does not have. What made the Articles of Confederation a particularly weak form of government?
- Focus of class for Monday AND Tuesday is to answer the question: How effective were the Articles of Confederation in solving the problems of the new nation?
- AOC fails, but the Congress was able to accomplish some things for the new nation.
- Create a notetaker. Explain the different problems. Identify what actions Congress took to resolve the problems. Evaluate the degree to which the Congress was effective or ineffective in resolving the conflict.
Problems
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Actions taken by Congress
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Effective?
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Organizing Western lands
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Land Ordinance (1785): mandated rectangular grid system of surveying and specified minimum price of $1 an acre; proceeds of land sales used as revenue; 16th section proceeds fund public education
Northwest Ordinance (1787): prohibits slavery in new territory (OH, IN, IL, MI, WI); process for territory becoming a state developed
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Yes: provided for orderly settlement and admission of new states on basis of “equality”; there would be no politically dependent “colonies” in west
Shortcomings: extended division between slave and free areas; implicitly invalidated Native American claims to land
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International diplomacy
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Treaty of Paris (1783)
No power to enforce provisions of treaty
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No. Congress could not control commerce and states refused to adopt uniform tariff policy; US not seen as legitimate country; therefore, European powers took advantage of weaknesses
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Economic Instability
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No power to tax, raise an army
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No. culmination of a series of events that persuaded influential Americans that national government must be strengthened; actions of state legislatures, which had expanded voting population produced fears that Revolution’s democratic impulse had gotten out of hand
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