Articles of Confederation

The Tyranny of Majority

Dec 17, 1780

Pennsylvania's government violated individual rights. It disfranchised and even imprisoned Quakers (who, as pacifists, had refused to fight in the Revolution). The legislature also removed judges.

Articles Created

Mar 1, 1781

Articles was officially established after Maryland ratified.

Weak

Dec 17, 1781

Made Congress weak becuase Americans were scared of a strong central government after the British had previously taken over.

Newburgh

Dec 15, 1783

Washington moved 11,000 Continental Army soldiers to Newburgh, N.Y. By 1783, the army was near the point of mutiny over Congress' failure to pay them. In March, Continental Army officers, camped at Newburgh, N.Y., considered military action against the Confederation Congress.

Economic depression

Dec 17, 1784

The Revolution was followed by a severe economic depression in 1784 and 1785. To raise revenue, many states imposed charges on goods from other states. By the mid-1780s, Connecticut was levying heavier duties on goods from Massachusetts than on those from Britain.

Shay's Rebellion

Jan 25, 1787

In 1786, farmers in western Massachusetts were threatened with foreclosure of their mortgaged property. The state legislature had voted to pay off the state's Revolutionary War debt in three years; between 1783 and 1786, taxes on land rose more than 60 percent. Desperate farmers demanded a cut in property taxes and adoption of state laws to postpone farm foreclosures

Constitution

Sep 17, 1787

The constitution was drafted and then sent to the states.