Lesson 1: A Weak Confederation

Question 1

Bill of Rights Definition

Answer 1

the first 10 amendments to the United States Constitution

Question 2

Cede Definition

Answer 2

to give up

Question 3

Constitution Definition

Answer 3

a document that sets out the laws, principles, organization, and processes of a government

Question 4

Currency Definition

Answer 4

money

Question 5

Depression Definition

Answer 5

a period when business activity slows, prices and wages fall, and unemployment rises

Question 6

Land Ordinance of 1785 Definition

Answer 6

a law that set up a system for settling the Northwest Territory

Question 7

Northwest Ordinance Definition

Answer 7

a 1787 law that set up a government for the Northwest Territory

Question 8

Shay’s Rebellion Definition

Answer 8

a 1786 revolt in Massachusetts led by farmers in reaction to high taxes

Question 9

What are the two reasons why a state would form a constitution?

Answer 9

First, a written constitution would spell out the rights of all citizens. Second, it would limit the power of government.

Question 10

What was the influence of Virginia’s constitution consisting of a bill of rights?

Answer 10

People valued the rights that state governments protected. Virginia’s constitution included a bill of rights, or list of freedoms that the government promises to protect. Virginia’s bill of rights guaranteed trial by jury, freedom of religion, and freedom of the press. Several other states followed Virginia’s lead, such as Massachusetts.

Question 11

How were the new state governments similar to the colonial governments?

Answer 11

The new state governments were somewhat similar to the colonial governments in structure. The states divided power between an executive and a legislature. The legislature was elected by the voters to pass laws. Every state but Pennsylvania had a governor to execute, or carry out, the laws.

Question 12

Who had the right to vote under the state constitutions? How did this differ from colonial times?

Answer 12

Under the state constitutions, more people had the right to vote than in colonial times. To vote, a citizen had to be white, male, and over age 21. He had to own a certain amount of property or pay a certain amount of taxes. For a time, some women in New Jersey could vote. In a few states, free African American men who owned property could vote.

Question 13

What did colonists fear about being united under one national government, as planned by the Continental Congress?

Answer 13

As citizens formed state governments, the Continental Congress was drafting a plan for the nation as a whole. Delegates believed that the colonies needed to be united by a national government in order to win independence. It was hard to write a constitution that all states would approve. They were reluctant to give up power to a central government. Few Americans saw themselves as citizens of one nation. Instead, they felt loyal to their own states. Also, people feared replacing the “tyranny” of British rule with another strong government.

Question 14

After much debate, what did the Continental Congress approve as the first American constitution in 1777? What did it create?

Answer 14

After much debate, the Continental Congress approved the first American constitution in 1777. The Articles of Confederation created a very loose alliance of 13 independent states.

Question 15

What did the constitution of the state of Massachusetts declare the purpose of government as?

Answer 15

The constitution of the state of Massachusetts declared that the primary purpose of the Massachusetts state government is to protect the natural rights of its inhabitants.

Question 16

What did the Articles of Confederation represent? What did it do?

Answer 16

Under the Articles of Confederation, the United States became a union of states with a weak central government. In a sense, the Articles simply put into law the existing reality of government in the colonies—a Congress with delegates acting on behalf of states that retained most of the power. The new nation was still at war, its revolution not yet won. It was not the time to discuss the political relationship between the states and Congress. The Articles of Confederation represented an effective compromise during a difficult time.

Question 17

What were the strengths of the Articles of Confederation?

Answer 17

As a plan of government, the Articles of Confederation had strengths. It left states free to make decisions for themselves. It prevented the federal government from gaining too much power. Under the Articles, each state sent one delegate to Congress. Thus each state, no matter its size or population, had one vote. Congress did have the power to declare war. It could appoint military officers, coin money, and operate post offices. It was also responsible for foreign affairs and could sign treaties.

Question 18

What were the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation?

Answer 18

However, the Articles of Confederation had weaknesses as well. Compared to the states, Congress had very limited powers. Congress could pass laws, but nine states had to approve a law before it could go into effect. Even then it was up to the states to enforce the laws passed by Congress. The Articles included no president to execute laws. Congress could not regulate trade between states or between states and foreign countries. Nor did it have the power to tax. To raise money, Congress had to ask the states for funds or borrow them. No state could be forced to contribute funds. There was also no system of courts to settle conflicts between states.

Question 19

What major dispute arose before the Articles of Confederation went into effect?

Answer 19

One major dispute arose before the Articles of Confederation went into effect. Maryland refused to ratify the Articles unless Virginia and other states ceded, or gave up, their claims to lands west of the Appalachian Mountains. Like other small states, Maryland feared that “landed” states would become too powerful. One by one, the states agreed to cede their western claims to Congress. Finally, only Virginia held out. However, Thomas Jefferson and other leading Virginians recognized the great need to form a central government. They persuaded state lawmakers to give up Virginia’s claims in the West. With its demands met, Maryland ratified the Articles of Confederation in 1781. The new American government could at last go into effect.

Question 20

Did American independence solve the Confederations problems?

Answer 20

By 1783, the United States had won its independence. Yet, the end of the American Revolution did not solve the confederation’s troubles. Americans had reason to doubt whether “these United States” could survive.

Question 21

What happened to disputes between states following the Revolutionary War?

Answer 21

Disputes continued to arise among states. For example, both New Hampshire and New York claimed Vermont. The Articles did not give the central government power to resolve such conflicts. Noah Webster, a teacher from New England, saw the problem clearly

Question 22

How did the rules outlined in the Articles of Confederation negatively affect taxes and debt after the war?

Answer 22

After the Revolution, the United States owed millions of dollars to individuals and foreign nations. Without the power to tax, Congress had no way to repay these debts. It asked the states for money, but the states often refused. During the Revolution, the Continental Congress had solved the problem of raising funds by printing paper currency, or money. However, the Continental dollar had little value because it was not backed by gold or silver. Before long, Americans began to describe any useless thing as “not worth a Continental.”

Question 23

Since Continental dollars had became worthless after the war, due to the fact that they held no gold or silver, what did the states begin doing, which caused confusion?

Answer 23

As Continental dollars became nearly worthless, states printed their own currency. This caused confusion.

Question 24

How did the multiple state currencies affect trade?

Answer 24

How much was a North Carolina dollar worth? Was a Virginia dollar as valuable as a Maryland dollar? Most states refused to accept the money of others. As a result, trade became very difficult.

Question 25

How did foreign countries take advantage of America’s weak confederation?

Answer 25

Foreign countries took advantage of the confederation’s weakness. Ignoring the Treaty of Paris, Britain refused to withdraw its troops from American territory on the Great Lakes. Spain closed its port in New Orleans to American shipping. This was a serious blow to western farmers, who depended on the port to ship their products to the East.

Question 26

Despite troubles in the states, what was Congress doing in the Northwest? What is the relative location of the Northwest?

Answer 26

Despite its troubles, Congress did pass important laws about how to govern the Northwest Territory. This was the U.S. territory west of Pennsylvania, north of the Ohio River, south of the Great Lakes, and east of the Mississippi. The laws established how territories would be governed and how they could become states.

Question 27

What was the Land Ordinance of 1785? What did it state?

Answer 27

The Land Ordinance of 1785 set up a system for settling the Northwest Territory. The law called for the territory to be surveyed and divided into townships. Each township would then be further divided into 36 sections of one square mile each (640 acres). Congress planned to sell sections to settlers for a minimum of $640 apiece. One section in every township was set aside to support public schools. Selling the land provided income for the government, which was significant because Congress did not have the power to tax under the Articles of Confederation, yet the nation was in debt.

Question 28

What was the Northwest Ordinance, passed in 1787? What did it establish?

Answer 28

In 1787, Congress passed the Northwest Ordinance. It set up a government for the Northwest Territory, guaranteed basic rights to settlers, and outlawed slavery there. It also provided for the vast region to be divided into separate territories in the future. The Northwest Ordinance established the principle that new territories should not become part of existing states but should be admitted as new states. It provided a procedure, or process, to admit new states to the nation. Once a territory had a population of 60,000 free settlers, it could ask Congress to be admitted as a new state. Each new state would be “on an equal footing with the original states in all respects whatsoever.” In time, the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin were created from the Northwest Territory.

Question 29

What was the influence of the laws created for the Northwest region?

Answer 29

Despite the drawbacks of the Articles of Confederation, the laws Congress created relating to the Northwest Territory proved to be a major success. These laws established principles defining the basic rights of settlers and served as a model for the rights citizens would expect to be protected. Trial by jury, freedom of religion, free use of waterways, fair treatment in the courts, and other rights were guaranteed. By providing that money from each township’s land sales be used for schools, these laws also established federal support for education.

Question 30

What was the finest achievement under the Articles of Confederation? Due to economic problems, what happened in America after the Revolution?

Answer 30

The Northwest Ordinance was the finest achievement of the national government under the Articles. Still, the government was unable to solve its economic problems. After the Revolution, the nation suffered an economic depression. A depression is a period when business activity slows, prices and wages fall, and unemployment rises.

Question 31

How did the economic Depression after the Revolution affect farmers?

Answer 31

The depression hit farmers hard. The war had created a high demand for farm products. Farmers borrowed money for land, seed, animals, and tools. However, when the Revolution ended, demand for farm goods went down. As prices fell, many farmers could not repay their loans.
In Massachusetts, matters worsened when the state raised taxes. The courts seized the farms of those who could not pay their taxes or loans. Angry farmers felt they were being treated unfairly.

Question 32

What happened in Shays’ Rebellion?

Answer 32

Daniel Shays, a Massachusetts farmer who had fought at Bunker Hill and Saratoga, organized an uprising in 1786. More than 1,000 farmers took part in Shays’ Rebellion. They attacked courthouses and prevented the state from seizing farms when farmers could not pay their debts. Finally, the Massachusetts legislature sent the militia to drive them off.

Question 33

What did the government do as a result of Shays’ Rebellion?

Answer 33

Many Americans saw Shays’ Rebellion as a sign that the Articles of Confederation did not work. Warned George Washington, “I predict the worst consequences from a half starved, limping government, always moving upon crutches and tottering at every step.” To avert a crisis, leaders from several states called for a convention to revise the Articles of Confederation. They met in Philadelphia in May 1787. In the end, however, this convention would create an entirely new framework of government.

Question 34

Which group of states made no claims to western lands?

Answer 34

Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island