Download Name

Student Study Guide for the American Pageant
Chapter 9 The Confederation and the Constitution, 1776-1790
CHAPTER SUMMARY
The American Revolution did not overturn the social
order, but it did produce substantial changes in social
customs, political institutions, and ideas about society
and government. Among the changes were the
separation of church and state in some places, the
abolition of slavery in the North, written political
constitutions, and a shift in political power from the
eastern seaboard toward the frontier.
The first weak national government, the Articles of
Confederation, was unable to exercise real
authority, although it did successfully deal with the
western lands issue. The Confederation's
weaknesses in handling foreign policy, commerce
and the Shays rebellion spurred the movement to
alter the Articles.
Instead of revising the Articles, the well-off delegates to
the Constitutional Convention created a permanent
charter for a whole new government. In a series of
compromises, the convention produced a plan that
provided for a vigorous central government, a strong
executive, and protection for property, while still
upholding republican principles and states' rights. The
pro-Constitution Federalists, generally representing
wealthier and more commercial forces, frightened other
groups who feared that the new government would
undermine their rights and their interests.
The Federalists met their strongest opposition from AntiFederalists in Virginia and New York, but through
effective organization and argument, as well as promises
to incorporate a bill of rights into the document, they
succeeded in getting the Constitution ratified. By
establishing the new national government, the Federalists
checked the Revolutionary movement, but their
conservative regime embraced the central Revolutionary
values of popular republican government and liberty.
GLOSSARY - To build your social science vocabulary, familiarize yourself with the following terms:
disestablish To separate an official state church from its connection with the government.
emancipation Setting free from servitude or slavery.
chattel An article of personal or movable property; hence a term applied to slaves, since they were considered the
personal property of their owners.
abolitionist An advocate of the end of slavery.
ratification The confirmation or validation of an act (such as a constitution) by authoritative approval.
bill of rigbts A list of fundamental freedoms assumed to be central to society.
Speculators (speculation) - Those who buy property, goods, or financial instruments not primarily for use but in
anticipation of profitable resale after a general rise in value.
township - In America, a surveyed territory six miles square; the term also refers to a unit of local government, smaller
than a county, that is often based on these survey units.
Territory - In American government, an organized political entity not yet enjoying the full and equal status of a state.
Annex - To make a smaller territory or political unit part of a larger one.
Requisition A demand for something issued on the basis of public authority.
foreclosure - Depriving someone ofthe right to redeem mortgaged property because the legal payments on the loan have
not been kept up.
Quorum - The minimum number of persons who must be present in a group before it can conduct valid business.
Anarchy - The theory that formal government is unnecessary and wrong in principle; the term is also used generally for
lawlessness or antigovernmental disorder.
Bicameral, unicameral - Referring to a legislative body with two houses (bicameral) or one (unicameral).
1
Describe how the American Revolution was different from the French and Russian Revolutions: (pg. 166) ____________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________.
In what way did egalitarian sentiments unleashed by the war affect the country? (pg. 167) _________________________
_____________________________________________________________.
The Founding Fathers failed to eliminate slavery because: (pg. 167) _________________________________________
______________________________________________________.
As a result of the Revolution's emphasis on equality, all of the following were achieved except: (pg. 167-8)
A)
the reduction of property qualifications for voting by most states.
B)
the growth of trade organizations for artisans and laborers.
C)
the establishment of the world's first antislavery society.
D)
full equality between women and men.
E)
abolishing medieval inheritance laws.
48.
A)
B)
C)
D)
E)
The most important outcome of the Revolution for white women was that they: (pg. 168)
permanently gained the right to vote.
were allowed to serve in the national legislature.
were elevated as special keepers of the nation's conscience.
finally gained fully equal status with white males.
were given the right to vote in some states.
49.
A)
B)
C)
D)
E)
As written documents, the state constitutions were intended to: (pg. 168)
represent a fundamental law superior to ordinary legislation.
be subordinate to state laws.
grant the governor more power than the legislature.
keep the government in the hands of the well-to-do.
reaffirm states' rights.
What device was used to ensure that legislators would stay in touch with the “mood of the people”? (pg. 168) _______
_____________________________________________________________________________________________.
Why were many state capitals relocated westward? (pg. 168) ______________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________.
It was highly significant to the course of future events that: (pg. 169)
A)
political democracy preceded economic democracy in the United States.
B)
deflation rather than inflation resulted from the Revolution.
C)
no economic depression occurred as a consequence of the Revolution.
D)
economic democracy preceded political democracy in the United States.
E)
the United States went off the gold standard after the Revolution.
Describe the economic situation of the average American at the end of the Revolutionary War: (pg. 170) ___________
____________________________________________________________________________________.
2
Immediately after the Revolution, the new American nation's greatest strength lay in its: (pg. 171)
A)
ingrained respect for authority.
B)
excellent political leadership.
C)
lack of inhibiting political heritage.
D)
sound economic structure.
E)
economic ties to France.
The Articles of Confederation were finally approved when: (pg. 171)
A)
agreement was reached on who would be president.
B)
states gave up their right to coin money.
C)
all states claiming western lands surrendered them to the national government.
D)
the states gave up their power to establish tariffs.
E)
a two-house national legislature was added.
What were the two most crippling handicaps of the Articles of Confederation? They left Congress unable to: (pg. 173)
_____________________________________________________________________________________________.
A major strength of the Articles of Confederation was its: (pg. 173)
control over interstate commerce.
ability to coin money.
strong judicial branch.
strong executive branch.
presentation of the ideal of a united nation.
One of the most farsighted provisions of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787: (pg. 174)
A)
set aside a section of each township for education.
B)
abolished slavery in all of the United States.
C)
prohibited slavery in the Old Northwest.
D)
kept power in the national government.
E)
none of the above.
What potential crisis was averted by Congresss passing of the Northwest Ordinance? (pg. 174) ____________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________.
Explain the conditions that led to Shays's Rebellion: (pg. 176) _____________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________.
Explain the economic issue at work that led to the problems and Shay’s Rebellion? (pg. 176) _____________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________.
Shays's Rebellion convinced many Americans of the need for: (pg. 176)
A)
lower taxes.
B)
granting long-delayed bonuses to Revolutionary War veterans.
C)
a vigilante effort by westerners to halt the Indian threat.
D)
a stronger central government.
E)
a weaker military presence in the West.
Under the Articles of Confederation, the relationship between the thirteen states: (pg. 177)
A)
improved to the point of total unity.
B)
was good economically but poor politically.
C)
led to a single currency.
D)
convinced many that a stronger central government was needed.
E)
was good politically but poor economically.
3
The debate between the supporters and critics of the Articles of Confederation centered on how to: (pg. 177)
A)
reconcile states' rights with strong national government.
B)
transfer territories to equal statehood.
C)
abolish slavery yet preserve national unity.
D)
balance the power of legislative and executive offices of government.
E)
conduct foreign policy while remaining neutral.
What specific issue finally touched off the movement toward the Constitutional Convention? (pg. 177)
________________________________________________________________.
The Constitutional Convention was called by Congress to explicitly: (pg. 177) ____________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________.
Which of the following Revolutionary leaders was NOT present at the Constitutional Convention? : (pg. 177-178)
A)
Thomas Jefferson
B)
Benjamin Franklin
C)
James Madison
D)
George Washington
E)
Alexander Hamilton
The delegate whose contributions to the Philadelphia Convention were so notable that he has been called the “Father of
the Constitution” was? (pg. 178) _____________________________________________________.
The delegates at the Constitutional Convention were concerned mainly with: (pg. 178-79)
A)
abolishing slavery.
B)
establishing a very powerful military.
C)
protecting America from its weaknesses abroad and its excesses at home.
D)
ensuring that the states continue to control tariff policies.
E)
establishing the principle of states' rights.
Explain the motives of the delegates to the 1787 Constitutional Convention: (pg. 178-79) Extra Credit
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________.
Understand the differences between the “large-state plan” and the “small-state plan” put forward in the Constitutional Convention:
(pg. 179) _____________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________.
What issue was the Great Compromise a solution for? (pg. 180) ____________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________.
Under the Constitution, the president of the United States was to be elected by a majority vote of the: (pg. 181)
_________________________________________________________________.
The idea that all tax measures should start in the House was made to appease who? (pg. 180) ____________________
_________________________________________________________________.
How did The Constitutional Convention address the North-South controversy over slavery? (pg. 181) _____________
_________________________________________.
4
By their actions, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention manifested their common beliefs in all of the following
except: (pg. 181)
government by the consent of the governed.
the sanctity of private property.
checks and balances in government.
a stronger central government.
manhood-suffrage democracy.
The one branch of the government elected directly by the people is the: (pg. 181)
military.
executive.
House of Representatives.
judiciary.
Senate.
The ultimate guarantor of liberty and justice was? (pg. 182) _________________________________________________
Describe the revolutionary way in which the Constitution was to be ratified? (pg. 182) ___________________________
_________________________________________________.
Describes the kind of people that made up the antifederalist camp: (pg. 182) ____________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________.
Among other views, The Federalist, written during the ratification debate, argued that it was: (pg. 185)
A)
impossible to safeguard the rights of states from the power of a strong central government.
B)
possible to extend a republican form of government over a large territory.
C)
inevitable that slavery would be abolished in the new republic.
D)
illegal to replace the Articles of Confederation with a new constitution.
E)
best to establish a direct democracy.
Antifederalists believe that the sovereignty of the people resided in which branch of the central government? : (pg. 188)
___________________________________
One of the enduring paradoxes of American history is that: (pg. 188)
A)
conservatives supported democracy.
B)
liberals supported democracy.
C)
both liberals and conservatives have championed the heritage of democratic revolution.
D)
conservatives and liberals were on opposite sides in the Revolution.
E)
conservatives opposed democracy.
5