Events
1777
Congress is created under the Articles of Confederation
1781
Articles of Confederation is ratified
1785
Congress passes Land Ordinance of 1785
1787
Daniel Shays leads attack on federal arsenal at Springfield,
Massachusetts
Congress passes Northwest Ordinance of 1787
Key People
-
Thomas Jefferson
Writer of the Declaration of Independence in 1776
-
Daniel Shays
Disgruntled
farmer who led a revolt against the Massachusetts state government
in 1786–1787
The Articles of Confederation
Shortly after Thomas
Jefferson penned the Declaration of Independence in 1776,
the delegates at the Second
Continental Congress agreed that a new government was necessary
to govern the now-independent colonies. After much debate, they
drafted and adopted the Articles of Confederation in 1777.
Although the Articles were not officially ratified until 1781 (Maryland
refused to ratify because of a territorial dispute), they served
as the de facto constitution until that time. Under
the authority of the Articles, the states created a national Congress comprised of
annually elected delegates from all thirteen states. Each state
had one vote in Congress, and, in most cases, decisions were made
based on majority rule.
Government Under the Articles
The national Congress’s powers over the states were specific
and definite: it had the sole power to negotiate treaties,
declare war, and make peace. It also reserved
the right to maintain an army and navy and regulated
interaction with Native Americans in the West.
The delegates also granted Congress the power to resolve interstate
disputes, grant loans, print money,
and operate a national postal system. Eventually,
Congress was also authorized to govern western territories until they
achieved statehood.
All powers not granted to Congress were reserved for state
governments. Congress had no power to levy taxes, for
example. It could only request that the individual states raise
revenue to cover their share of national expenses. Furthermore,
any amendments made to the Articles required unanimous agreement from
the states.
Fear of Strong Central Government
The Articles made the national Congress weak on purpose.
Having just won independence from Britain, many Americans feared
that creating a strong federal government with too much authority
over the states would only replace King George III with another
tyrant. Instead, they envisioned Congress to be a supervisory body
that would tie the states loosely for the common good. The early
United States was thus a confederation of nearly independent
states, not the solid federation with a strong government that it
is today. The states were in many ways like individual countries
bound together to keep Britain at bay.
Americans were especially afraid of federal taxes.
Remembering the “No taxation without representation!” cry from the
Colonial era, they stipulated that only the individual states could
levy taxes. This system proved to be a completely ineffective way
of bankrolling a federal government, and in fact, many of the states
refused to pay their fair share. Most years, in fact, the Congress
received less than a third of what it asked for from the states.
Moreover, Congress had been granted no rights to control interstate
commerce. States were thus given a free hand to draft conflicting
and confusing laws that made cross-border trade difficult.
