Download R Chapter 7, Section 1 -- The Articles of

R Chapter 7, Section 1 -- The Articles of Confederation
1. Define the following vocabulary words: constitution, bicameral, republic, petition, ordinance, depreciate.
2. Identify Phillis Wheatley.
African American poet, founder of the African American literary tradition, wrote on the ideals of freedom and liberty, wrote
poems supporting the colonists in the Revolution
Thirteen Independent States, pp. 192-3 -- Read to find out what post-war state governments were like and what ideas Americans had about
government.
3. In 1783, America was not a superpower. What actions did Britain take after the war that illustrate this point?
British kept their troops at forts in the NW Territory, in violation of the Treaty of Paris, 1783
4.
The American Revolution was not only a military action, but a political statement about the nature of government power. How did the
new state constitutions show colonial fears about governmental power? How did they address those fears? What did Pennsylvania do to
limit the governor’s power?
 Experiences w/ British rule made them cautious about giving too much power to any one person; also wanted to prevent
abuses of state power and keep power in the people’s hands
 Limited the governor’s (executive’s) power, gave more power to the state legislature
 PA replaced the position with a council
5.
Why do you think a bicameral system would limit the power of the legislature?
6. Who had the right to vote?
White males over 21 who owned a certain amount of property or paid a certain amount of taxes
7.
The
legislative branch (state legislature)
was the most powerful branch of government in most states.
Forming a Republic, pp. 193-5 – Read this carefully to identify strengths and weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation.
8.
Most Americans wanted a weak central government, after their experiences with Britain. How would the states function in their new
system?
Like small, independent countries – they would act independently on most issues except waging war and foreign relations
9. What were the Articles of Confederation? Why were they written?
America’s first constitution; adopted by the Continental Congress to direct the war effort
10. What powers did the national government have under the Articles of Confederation? What powers didn’t it have?
Congress could: conduct foreign affairs, maintain armed forces, borrow money, issue currency
Congress could not: regulate trade, force citizens to join the army, levy (impose) taxes
11.
How many votes did each state have? How many states needed to ratify (approve) the Articles of Confederation or amend (change)
them?
1; 13 (all)
12.
Maryland
refused to ratify the Articles of Confederation until
NY, VA and other states abandoned claims to land in the west (across the Appalachian mountains) . (The land became the
property of the U. S. government.) The Articles of Confederation officially became the government of the United States in 17 81 .
New Land Policies, pp. 195-6 – Read to find out how new states would be added to the U. S.
13. What was the purpose of the Ordinance of 1785? List the provisions (parts) of the Ordinance of 1785.
To establish a procedure for surveying and selling the western lands north of the Ohio River
 Divided the area into townships 6 mi. X 6 mi.
 Divided those townships into 36 sections of 640 acres each
 Arranged for sections to be sold at public auction for at least $1/acre; Section 16 would fund public education
14. What was the purpose of the Northwest Ordinance (1787) ? List the requirements territories had to meet in order to become states.
Established a procedure for governing the territories and admitting new states into the union
 When population reached 60,000, territories could petition Congress for statehood
 Guaranteed freedom of religion, trial by jury, abolished slavery in the territories
Was the U.S.’s first attempt to stop the spread of slavery
15. What was the overall effect of the Ordinance of 1785 and the Northwest Ordinance on the Ohio River Valley?
Opened the way for westward expansion in an orderly manner
Trouble on Two Fronts, pp. 197-8 – Read to find out what domestic (internal) and international (external) problems the new country faced.
16. Identify the financial problems the new country faced.
 Money printed during the war had depreciated – almost worthless
 Led to inflation
 Unable to tax, so Congress couldn’t pay war debts
17. How do countries solve those kinds of financial problems today? Could the Articles government do that? Why or why not?
Income taxes, property taxes, etc. – those did not exist back then, nor did the Articles give Congress the power to tax
18. What problems did Britain create for the U. S. after the war?
 Never retreated from forts in NW Territory
 Made trade policies limiting U.S. access to markets in West Indies and Britain
19. Who tried to negotiate with Britain? Why did Britain say they had the right to defy the Treaty of Paris, 1783?
John Adams; Americans hadn’t paid Loyalists for confiscated property
20. What problems did Spain create for the U. S.?
Closed the Mississippi River to U.S. shipping (feared U.S. expansion west)
21. Why were many Americans worried?
Weaknesses of Articles of Confederation and their inability to deal with problems; feared breakdown of nation into mini-nations
Skim back through the section and your answer s to fill in the chart below.
The Articles of Confederation (1781-1787)
STRENGTHS
 Gave Americans the weak government they wanted
 Established orderly settlement procedures that would
be used throughout US westward expansion – good
job on NW Ordinance and Ordinance of 1785
WEAKNESSES
 Congress couldn’t tax – no way to pay off debts, pay
for government
 States held more power than national government,
couldn’t be forced to comply w/ federal law
 3-person executive committee didn’t have the power
to enforce law
 no court system to resolve disputes between states
 (couldn’t resolve issue of Shays’ Rebellion – in ch.
7.2)