1. Big Fat Failure (of the Articles of Confederation) Why did the USA replace our 1st governing document with the Constitution??? Objective 1.05
2. After the Revolutionary War Colonies were now states bound by a loose Confederation Each were ruled by a state legislature that acted independent of each other A Unicameral (one chambered) Congress drafted the Articles of Confederation to oversee the new states
3. The AOC created a Congress that allowed for: power to declare war, make foreign treaties, and work out trade between states.
4. But… the AOC were denied the power to tax or enforce any laws. The Government of the new country was weak and ineffective The AOC proved to be a weak document and caused many problems
5. Problems abound! Due to the failure to tax the states were in debt. States were buying manufactured goods from England over higher priced American goods. To pay for the War states began to raise taxes on land, causing families to fall into personal debt and loose their farms. On man, a former Revolutionary war solder, decided to lead a rebellion to protest.
6. Shays Rebellion News of the rebellion lead by Daniel Shays in Massachusetts spread quickly. The state militia had to be brought in to put down the uprising. Many Americans saw the uprising as only the beginning and the need for a stronger national gov’t was called for. The Congress met and originally decided to amend the AOC, but in the end scrapped them and wrote a new document.
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9. In the end, the new and improved document would be called the Constitution and would be our current plan of government.
12. #1- Answer A- After Shays rebellion the need for a strong central military under nation control was evident#2- Answer B the states acted as little “countries” and were not unified as a single nation.
