Malana Smith
History to 1877
Alternative assignment
1. The weaknesses of the Articles of the Confederation were
that congress had no power to lay or collect taxes, congress had no power to regulate
interstate or foreign trade, congress had no power to enforce laws, approval of
the nine states were required to enact laws, amendments to the articles
required the consent of all 13 states, the government had no executive branch,
and there was no national court system. Historians say that the 1780’s were filled
with great difficulties that the Articles of Confederation could not solve.
This is because many different states had different issues that they refused to
agree with in comparison to other states, such as slavery, expansion, Indian’s
rights, and even trade and land. Because 9 states had to approve a new law to
be passed, and a lack of communication was present, it was harder to pass laws.
Then, once they were passed, congress had no power to enforce those laws.
2. Shays Rebellion was a rebellion of debt-ridden farmers
who closed the courts in Western Massachusetts to
prevent the seizure of their land for failure to pay taxes. This rebellion
convinced many that the constitution should be changed because they felt the
national government must be strengthened so that it could develop uniform
economic policies and protect property owners from infringements on their
rights by local majorities. Thomas Jefferson felt that a little rebellion every
once in a while helps keep patriotism alive, whereas Samuel Adams felt that
there should no longer be riots like that, even though a revolt against a
monarch is no different because both government systems were ineffective.
3. The Northwest Ordinance was an ordinance passed by
congress to provide a path to statehood and outlaw slavery north of the Ohio
river . This was a money incentive for congress. The ordinance
stated that government, courts, and judges would be appointed once population
reached five thousand free adult males, then become territories. Then from there,
it can become a state once 60 thousand free adult males dwelled there. This
ordinance also prohibited slavery and allowed religious freedom. One lot of
townships was given to be set aside for education and establishment of schools.
4. Major Compromises that occurs during the Constitutional
Convention were how to represent the states equally within congress, what to do
about slavery, the slave trade, and tariffs. Representation within congress was
determined by having equal representation in the Senate (with 2 senators for
each state) and having proportional representation in the House of Representatives
based on population. It seems that the founders combined two different proposals
or “plans” brought by Virginia New Jersey
In terms of
slavery, it was a hard decision to make when creating the Constitution because
slavery was very relied on for economic stability, especially in the South. In Article
1, the Constitution states that Congress may not prohibit importation of slaves
until 1808. The “Three-Fifths Clause” for purposes of determining representation
in the House of Representatives, to be counting free persons, indentured
servants, and “three fifths of all of persons” [slaves]. In article 1 of the
Constitution, the “Fugitive Slave Clause” required states that prohibited
slavery to return slaves who escaped to their state upon claim of a slave
owner.
Finally addressing
tariffs, the Constitution stated that Congress now has the power to lay and
collect taxes, duties and regulate trade with foreign nations and among the
states, including tariffs.
