We the People.. The Failings of the Articles of Confederation and - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

We the People…..

The Failings of the Articles of Confederation and the Solutions of the Constitutional Convention Unit Two- BA

* Imagine, If You Will………………………….

• You are one of our nation’s founding father’s, and you have just declared your

independence.

• What would now be one of

the first things that you must do?

* Imagine, If You Will………………………….

• You are one of our nation’s founding father’s, and you have just declared your

independence.

• Knowing what you know about

the history of governments, and political philosophy, and the experiences of the founding fathers; What type of government would you choose, and why?

* Imagine, If You Will………………………….

• You are one of our nation’s founding father’s, and you have just declared your

independence.

• How would decisions about

what the government needed to do be made in your government?

* Imagine, If You Will………………………….

• You are one of our nation’s founding father’s, and you have just declared your

independence.

• How would you fund your

government?

• Who would have to pay this

funding, and in what proportions?

* Imagine, If You Will………………………….

• You are one of our nation’s founding father’s, and you have just declared your

independence.

• Who would be allowed to

participate in your government (i.e.- vote, serve in office, be the representative

• rganization)?

* Imagine, If You Will………………………….

• You are one of our nation’s founding father’s, and you have just declared your

independence.

• If you were unhappy with the

way in which your government was designed, after the fact, what process would you have for changing it?

* Imagine, If You Will………………………….

• Now, take out a piece of paper, and in a minute or less, write as many facts as you

can remember regarding the united States first president.

• And, now let’s meet him……….

The First president of the united States of America- SAMUEL P. HUNTINGTON

WAIT……..WHAT?!?!?

• The United States of America did not start until

1793, and we did not have a President until then.

• So, what did we do for a government from 1776

to 1793, and why did we change it?

The Articles of Confederation * What type of government did they choose?

• Confederated Republic
• Strengths
• The states had their sovereignty
• There was equality amongst the states in terms of voting,

regardless of population or size in area

• Weaknesses
• The central (national) government was weak and there was no way to

enforce their decisions on the states

• It was difficult to make decisions as a unified entity
• There was inequality amongst the states in terms of population

size, so there was unequal representation in those terms

The Articles of Confederation * How were decisions made in their government?

• However, each state had only one vote in the Congress
• Each state could send a delegation of between 2 and 7 members selected by

that state’s legislature

• Strengths
• Every state was equal in their voting
• It was up to the states to vote, not individuals
• Weaknesses
• It was time consuming to make decisions
• The question of whether all states should be equal was constantly on the

table in voting

The Articles of Confederation * How Was Their Government Funded?

• Each state was allocated a portion of the total debt of the United States based
• n the total real property value within that state
• Strengths
• Richer and larger states were expected to pay their fair share
• Weaknesses
• The central government was dependent upon the states for payment,

which was not always forthcoming

• States paying for more got the same say as states paying for less

The Articles of Confederation * Who Was Allowed to Participate in the Government?

• Only the states, not the people. Each state would determine who could vote

within their state. This made the states practically independent nations of their

• wn
• Strengths
• The states all stayed equal to each other
• Weaknesses
• Each individual state was subject to a different group of voters who

wanted protection of their own rights, and therefore created a variety of things such as money, differing laws, taxes, etc.

• Made travel between states very difficult

The Articles of Confederation * How Were Changes to the Government Made?

• To pass a law took the approval of a super majority of 9 states
• To change the Articles themselves took unanimous approval of all the state

legislatures

• Strengths
• This made sure that almost everyone in the Confederacy was on the

same page, and it was a unified action

• Weaknesses
• It was very difficult to reach the majorities needed, and therefore hardly

anything ever got done