The Articles of Confederation 1776 - 1789

Question 1

Why did the British pass the Prohibitory Act?

Answer 1

To respond to the Olive Branch Petition.

As a result of the Act, the British refused to trade with the 13 colonies whom they said were in open rebellion.

Question 2

Who wrote Common Sense, a pamphlet advocating for immediate independence?

Answer 2

Thomas Paine

Paine‘s Common Sense sold hundreds of thousands of copies and persuaded many Americans to favor independence.

Question 3

After the Second Continental Congress “adopted” the New England troops surrounding Boston, who did they place in charge of the Continental Army?

Answer 3

George Washington

As a Virginian, Washington’s appointment signaled colonial unity. Washington was also one of the few colonial soldiers with extensive military experience.

Question 4

How did Thomas Jefferson justify independence from Great Britain in the Declaration of Independence (July 4, 1776)?

Answer 4

Although Jefferson set out specific grievances (for example, that the King had “dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness of his invasions on the rights of the people”), he also established the right of the people to declare independence when their government violates the people’s natural rights.

Question 5

George Washington’s Continental Army suffered continual recruiting problems. Why?

Answer 5

Many Americans were willing to serve in the colonial militia which served close to their homes. On the other hand, the Continental Army served throughout the 13 colonies, and many potential soldiers were concerned about leaving their farms for an extended period.

Question 6

Define:

Tories

Answer 6

Tories were American Loyalists who fought on the side of the British, or otherwise aided them in their war against the American colonists.

Approximately 60,000 Tories fought for the British in the Revolutionary War, and in excess of 500,000 Tories were suspected to exist in the colonies. After the war, many Tories fled to Canada.

Question 7

What offer did the American and British Armies make to black soldiers?

Answer 7

Black soldiers fought on both sides of the War; each side promised freedom to any slave that enlisted.

Question 8

During the Revolution, which country was America’s most important ally?

Answer 8

France

Following an American victory at the Battle of Saratoga (1777), France recognized the United States and provided naval assistance, supplies, and monetary aid to the fledgling nation. French assistance proved the decisive factor in the Revolution by forcing the British into a wider war.

Question 9

Define:

Articles of Confederation

Answer 9

The Articles of Confederation were established during the Revolutionary War by the Continental Congress. Due to fears of concentrated power, the Articles intentionally established a weak central government.

Question 10

During the Revolutionary War, many states established new constitutions which contained bills of rights.

Q: What were bills of rights?

Answer 10

Bills of rights are lists of things that a government is forbidden to do. For example, a bill of rights may establish that a government cannot take away certain rights, like the freedom to worship as you want.

Question 11

The second Treaty of Paris (1783) ended the Revolutionary War.

Q: What were the key terms?

Answer 11

The key terms of the Treaty of Paris were:

1. Britain recognized American independence
2. Britain remained in control of Canada
3. Congress would return confiscated Tory property
4. British creditors could collect debts owed to them by Americans
5. The United States western boundary was set at the Mississippi River, and its southern boundary at Florida

Question 12

What two key provisions were part of the Land Ordinance of 1785, passed under the Articles of Confederation?

Answer 12

The Land Ordinance of 1785 determined:

• How future land could be purchased by settlers as farmland
• That each section of new “township” set aside land for public education

By establishing this system for settlers to purchase land, it provided the early US government with sorely needed funds, although it did not generate enough money to help solve the early financial problems of the USA.

Question 13

In addition to the Land Ordinance of 1785, the Articles of Confederation Congress passed the Northwest Ordinance of 1787.

Q: What three key provisions did this Act contain?

Answer 13

One of two major pieces of legislation passed under the Articles of Confederation, the Northwest Ordinance:

1. Set rules for creating new states;
2. Banned slavery in the new states of the Northwest;
3. Provided for limited self-government in territories not yet made states

Question 14

What is a similarity between the Land Ordinance of 1785 and the Northwest Ordinance of 1787?

Answer 14

The Land Ordinance of 1785 and the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 were the two key legislation passed under the Articles of Confederation.

Question 15

In Shays’ Rebellion, a group of farmers led by Daniel Shays in Western Massachusetts shut down county courts. Why?

Answer 15

Shays and his followers shut down the county courts to prevent land seizures and imprisonment for debt. Debts were required to be repaid in hard currency, which was scarce.

Shays’ Rebellion was a response to the economic depression and high taxes resulting from Revolutionary War debt, and highlighted the weakness of the government established by the Articles of Confederation.

Question 16

Define:

Unicameral

Answer 16

Unicameral is a legislature with one chamber. The Articles of Confederation established a unicameral legislature.

Question 17

Define:

Bicameral

Answer 17

A bicameral legislature is a legislature with two chambers. The legislative branch, as established by the Constitution, is bicameral.

Question 18

Explain the concept of a tariff. Be sure to also explain why tariffs are rarely used today.

Answer 18

A tariff is a tax imposed upon goods when imported into their country from a foreign country.

For example, the USA may charge a tariff (tax) of 10% of the value of a table when that table is imported into the USA from Canada.

Tariffs are rarely used today because when one country enacts tariffs, then the other countries will respond to those tariffs by enacting their own tariffs. The people who suffer from tariffs are the common people (aka you) since businesses pass those costs to the consumer.

Sometimes these conflicts can escalate into trade wars, which have the potential to cripple a country economically.

Question 19

What was the Annapolis Convention?

Answer 19

The Annapolis Convention was held in 1786. Twelve delegates from five states met to discuss barriers to trade and commerce that existed due to the Articles of Confederation. The Convention concluded with a call for an additional convention to be held in Philadelphia to discuss revising the Articles.

Question 20

The Constitutional Convention was called in response to the Annapolis Convention. What was the Constitutional Convention’s initial purpose?

Answer 20

To revise the Articles of Confederation.

The Constitutional Convention’s initial purpose was to revise the Articles of Confederation. A group of strong nationalists, including James Madison and Alexander Hamilton, convinced the Convention to draft an entirely new governing document.

George Washington presided over the meeting since he was widely respected throughout the 13 colonies.

Question 21

What was the Virginia Plan?

Answer 21

The Virginia Plan, drafted by James Madison, called for a bicameral legislature with two branches. Each state would send legislators to each branch based upon the size of their population.

Question 22

Describe the New Jersey Plan.

Answer 22

The New Jersey Plan called for a unicameral legislature where each state, regardless of population, had the same number of legislators.

William Paterson proposed the New Jersey Plan as a means of protecting small-population states from being overwhelmed by states with large populations.

Question 23

How did the Constitutional Convention resolve the differences between the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan?

Answer 23

The Convention adopted the Connecticut Plan, otherwise known as the Great Compromise. The Connecticut Plan established a bicameral legislature in which the number of legislators in the House of Representatives was determined by population, while each state had an equal number of legislators in the Senate.

Question 24

Explain the rationale for why the South wanted to have the three-fifths compromise written into the constitution.

Answer 24

The Convention passed the Three-Fifths Compromise.

For representation in the House of Representatives, each enslaved person counted as 3/5 of a person. This would only benefit southern states politically since enslaved peoples were relatively rare in the North. This “compromise” was to satisfy wealthy southern planters, who wanted to have greater political power to ensure the safety of their wealth and their continued subjugation of Black Americans.

As a “compromise”, the South also agreed to end the importation of enslaved peoples by 1808.

Question 25

Explain what the Fugitive Slave Clause was.

Answer 25

A clause that was added to the US Constitution said that enslaved people who ran away into another state could not be free. They were still enslaved, and they had to be delivered (when found) back to their rightful owner.

Lawmakers in the North, who agreed to add the Fugitive Slave Clause to the constitution, refused to enforce that clause, since they viewed it as legalized kidnapping, much to the displeasure of lawmakers from the South.

Question 26

Explain what the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793 was.

Answer 26

The Fugitive Slave Act was a law passed by Congress and signed into law by George Washington. The law helped the Southern States find runaway slaves by getting the Northern states, who had banned slavery, to help them find people who had escaped their enslavement.

The law allowed slave catchers to enter free states to “capture runaway slaves” and fine anyone approximately $14,766.10 in today’s American dollars if they caught someone trying to help a runaway enslaved person.

For those interested in the math, it was a $500 fine, but with a cumulative price increase of about 1.48% per year from 1790 to 2021, it gave us $14,766.10.

Question 27

Explain what was terrifying about the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793 to Black people in the North.

Answer 27

It was terrifying because it didn’t matter whether or not you were freed. All it took was a white person to tell a judge that you were a runaway slave from the South and they could enslave you without so much as a jury trial. This was because Black testimony was inferior to a White person’s.

Question 28

Many different proposals were put forth regarding the office of the President. What powers did the Convention eventually provide the President?

Answer 28

The Convention gave the President the power to:

• Engage in foreign policy as the nation’s representative
• Have a four-year term limit (but could be re-elected to multiple terms)
• Veto legislation passed by Congress

Question 29

Who officially elects the President of the United States?

Answer 29

The Electoral College

Created by the founding fathers, the Electoral College was intended to be undemocratic since the founders distrusted the people.

The Electoral College is currently made up of 538 people. Each state (including Washington D.C. as its own state) gets the number of electors equal to their representation in Congress.

So, for example, Texas has 38 electoral votes as of the 2020 election cycle. This is because Texas has two senators and 36 representatives.

Question 30

What’s a major weakness to our Electoral College system?

Answer 30

In the Electoral College system, each state is a “winner take all”, which means that even if a certain candidate were to win a state by one vote, then all of the electors of that state would go to the candidate that won.

Because of the “winner take all” system, a person could win the Presidency by only having 23-27% of the popular vote.

Click here if you would like more information on how that’s done.

Question 31

Between the President and Congress, the Constitution created three essential checks and balances, to prevent each from gaining too much power.

Q: What were they?

Answer 31

The three key checks and balances were:

1. The President can exercise a veto over acts of Congress
2. Congress can override a Presidential veto only with a 2/3 vote in each house
3. Treaties negotiated by the President must be ratified by the Senate

Question 32

What’s the difference between a Federalist and an Anti-Federalist?

Answer 32

The Federalists thought that a strong central government was essential to the survival of the United States. On the other hand, the Anti-Federalists believed that a strong federal government would impinge upon the rights of the states and the people.

Question 33

To induce the state constitutional committees to ratify the Constitution, the Federalists guaranteed they would pass what legislation?

Answer 33

The Federalists promised the passage of a Bill of Rights.

The Bill of Rights, suggested by Thomas Jefferson, established limits to the power of the federal government, and guaranteed unto the people certain rights. By 1790, all 13 states had ratified the Constitution.

Question 34

John Jay, James Madison, and Alexander Hamilton wrote a series of 85 newspaper articles advocating for the Constitution. Collectively, what are these documents known as?

Answer 34

The Federalist Papers

The Federalist Papers argued in favor of ratifying the consitituion.