The New Nation and the Government.pptVIP

American Revolution (1783-1789) (The New Nation and the Government) 1. The Articles of Confederation A. The economic problems The peace treaty of 1783 inspired cheer and hope, but these were dashed by economic hard times that followed. Many people were in debt and paper money was flooding the country, creating extraordinary inflation(通货膨胀）and the depressed condition of business was taking its toll(代价，征收）on many small farmers. Some of them were being thrown in jail for debt, and numerous farms were being confiscated（没收，充公） and sold for taxes. B. Political problems The economic hard times was accompanied by political unrest. Depression, inflation, and high taxes made life miserable for many Americans. The plight（困境） of farmers in western Massachusetts led to Shays’s Rebellion. In August 1786, Daniel Shays, angered by high taxes and debt he could not repay（偿还）, led about 2000 men in closing the courts in three western Massachusetts counties to prevent foreclosure(丧失抵押品赎回权） on farms. The rebellion exposed（暴露） the inability of the central government to control revolt and impose order, and heightened an already growing sense of panic（恐慌） nationwide. C. The limitations of the Articles of Confederation The Continental Congress drafted the Articles of Confederation in 1776 and 1777. In force since 1781, the articles established a federation of states（各州的联盟）, each state to be independent with its own constitution and its own guarantees of liberty after the revolution. By the mid-1780s, the weakness of the government under the Articles of Confederation had become clear. Some weak points: (1) With the states retaining considerable power, the central government had insufficient power to regulate（管理，控制） commerce. (2) It could not tax and was generally impotent（虚弱的） in setting commercial policy. (3） It could not effectively support a war effort. (4) It lacked both executive and judicial branches, and amending the Articles required