Tindall Ch7 Outline Shaping a Federal Union The Confederation Congress within the confederation had very little power to do anything. Was still able to negotiate the Treaty of Paris in 1783 and created three departments, Foreign Affairs, Finance, and War. Robert Morris, superintendent of Finance created the Bank of North America (1781). Did not really work because of fear of central authority, and Congress was always lacking money. Land in the west all went under the ownership of Congress, and they set rules for how each territory could become a state. The Land ordinance of 1785 planned how land would be distributed and sold. The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 put new requirements on achieving statehood.