Answer:
Step-by-step explanation:
Even before the United States won the Revolutionary War, a new central government had to be set up. The government was needed right away to replace the one the people declared they didn’t want or need. Remember that the colonists did not like Great Britain’s strong government, or its king, George III. The Declaration of Independence, adopted July 4, 1776, stated that it was up to the people to decide what kind of powers the government should or should not have.
One thing was certain, the future Americans definitely did not want the kind of government that they were fighting to get rid of. The former British subjects wanted to be very sure to set up a government that did not take away any rights of its citizens by having too much power.
• Can you guess why the Americans were worried about a government that was too powerful?
• How could the nation’s founders bring the 13 states together as the United States of America?
Each star represents a state in the United States.
A Confederation Government
The first central government for the United States was established with the writing of a document called the Articles of Confederation. The confederation form of government organized the 13 states into a group to coordinate their defense and their relations with foreign governments. Each state could rule itself, while the central government had little power.
The confederation government lasted for eight years, from 1781 to 1789. The government was very unusual for that time because the plan for it was written down and because there was no monarch.
Before the Revolution, the colonists had been loyal British citizens. After the Revolution was won, few really felt that they were “Americans.” Most of the people felt that they were citizens of their state or region. New Englanders were called “no-account Yankees” by the Southerners, and the Pennsylvanians were named “lousy Buckskins” by the New Englanders!
Weaknesses and Strengths
Below are seven sentences describing the confederation government. Think about each statement, and decide whether it describes a strength or weakness of the government. Click on the correct answer.
1. The government could not force the states to obey its laws. weakness
strength
2. The government did not have the power to tax. weakness
strength
3. The government had the power to declare war and make peace. weakness
strength
4. Each state had its own system of money. weakness
strength
5. The Articles couldn’t be changed unless every state agreed. weakness
strength
6. The government had the power to operate post offices. weakness
strength
7. The government had no national system of courts. weakness
strength
Alexander Hamilton was born on a Caribbean island and later came to live in the colonies. Mr. Hamilton believed that we needed a stronger central government. He said that America was “nothing but a monster with 13 heads!” Soon Americans began worrying about the weaknesses of the confederation government. Many citizens began to think that changes were needed.
Shays’s Rebellion
Some Americans were satisfied with the Articles of Confederation. Many other Americans felt that the government should be strengthened. One event in 1786 caused even more people to think that changes were due.
Times were difficult for farmers in the 1780s. The prices for their crops were falling, and the taxes due for their property were rising. In Western Massachusetts, judges forced farmers to sell their land to pay debts. One farmer named Daniel Shays decided to try to help out. Mr. Shays owed the Massachusetts government $12 in back taxes (a large sum in those days!) and was afraid his land might be taken away by the court. Shays and other farmers appealed to the government for help and discovered that the government could do nothing. The frustrated farmers then led a rebellion in the state! For several weeks, angry farmers with hunting rifles would surround courthouses in Western Massachusetts to stop the judges from getting to court. The farmers were eventually defeated, and Shays’s Rebellion came to an end. This event demonstrated the frustration and anger people felt toward the government.
American citizens voted in early 1787 for each state to send delegates to a convention for the purpose of making changes to the Articles of Confederation. Every state except Rhode Island sent delegates to the convention. Many well-known citizens, such as George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Alexander Hamilton, attended as delegates.
The convention opened in Philadelphia on May 25, 1787, at Independence Hall (shown here). Although the delegates didn’t know it then, what would happen there would have an enormous effect on the future of the United States.