From the lecture:

Government Structure

Congress- sole body (unicameral)

No judicial branch
A “presiding officer” would be chosen from within as a leader
Civil officers appointed by congress

Powers of Congress

Make war and peace

Send and receive ambassadors
Make treaties
Borrow money & set up money system
Build navy
Raise an army by asking statefor troops

State Obligations

By agreeing to the Articles states had to:

Provide funds
Send troops when requested
Comply with acts of congress
Treat citizens of other states fairly
Surrender fugitives from justice
Open travel and trade between states

Weaknesses

Congress did not have power to tax

Congress could not regulate trade
No executive branch
States could print their own currency
Could not make the states follow the Articles
ALL 13 states had to agree to change the document

The Critical Period

Each state was eager to run its own affairs

Foreign countries hesitant to deal with a government with so little power
US owed over 10$ million to foreign countries for the war
The Confederation Congress had no power to raise money to pay debts
Different state money limits trade
Meeting at Annapolis

Leaders demand that something be done to make the central government stronger
Joint meeting of all states called in Annapolis in 1786
Only 5/13 states attended
Conference calls for a convention of ALL states in philadelphia the next summer

1. Legislators raised taxes to fund the war which became a rebellion almost a civil war
2. Legislators realized they had no power and raised an army to fight Shays’ rebellion
3. Highlighted a problem in the articles of confederation that empowers the federal
government

Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence. Do you think he wanted to see
America form a strong central government? Why or why not?
No because as he says in his letter these rebellions are par for the course and is afraid people
might over react toward the rebellion and over compensate with a government that is too large

According to Jefferson, have the colonies been peaceful or chaotic? Support your answer with
evidence from the document.

He thinks the colonies have been peaceful “The British have so long hired their newspapers to
repeat every form of lies about our being in anarchy, that the world has at length believed them,
and we have believed them ourselves. Yet where does this anarchy exist?” He illustrates that
this civil unrest is common among many countries and is par for the course of a young America.
But he also says that these rebellions are uncommon and necessary

Jefferson thinks the people at the Constitutional Convention are overreacting to Shays’
Rebellion. What does he worry they might do as they write the new Constitution? (Not from the
documents, but from your vast store of general knowledge!)

He worries that people might create a central government that is too strong and does not allow
people to speak out removing the civil liberties of the people
What does Jefferson mean when he said, “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to
time with the blood of patriots and tyrants?”

Liberty is ever in flux and some might have to die to achieve the ideal of freedom. It is a hard
state to maintain and we have to balance the scales of peoples opinions to create a functioning
country

Explain the difference between a primary source document (Jefferson's letter) and a secondary
source document (US History textbook):

A primary source is one taken directly from a witness or someone recounting the event. A
secondary source is when a textbook or article interprets what the primary source says into their
own words