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Articles of Confederation Strengths

Declared war

Had an orderly process for admitting new states

Make treaties and alliances

Articles of Confederation Weaknesses

Cannot impose taxes- the government had to ask states to voluntarily contribute any amount of money they chose

No Executive branch

No Judicial branch (no federal court system to settle disputes between states)

Cannot establish an army/military

Cannot ENFORCE treaties

Changing the Articles of Confederation required 13/13 states to agree on a change. (unanimous vote)

Government had little power over foreign trade

Northwest Ordinance

A law that established the government in the Northwest Territory and outlined the process for admitting new states.

Purpose of the Northwest Ordinance

To outline the process of admitting new states to the Union.

Type of government created by Articles of Confederation

A weak national government.

Cause of the weak central government

Fear of rule experienced under the British monarchy.

Outcome of Shays’ Rebellion

It demonstrated the weakness of the Articles of Confederation and prompted calls for change.

Impact of Shays’ Rebellion on the Articles of Confederation

Led to the realization that the Articles of Confederation needed to be strengthened.

What is one example of something that did not work under the Articles of Confederation that was later fixed in the US Constitution?

The AOC greatly limited the powers of the national government. The Constitution fixed that by giving the authority/power to the national government (instead of the states).

Reason for the Constitutional Convention

To revise the Articles of Confederation.

Definition of a compromise

When both sides give something up to reach an agreement.

What are three compromises that were made at the Constitutional Convention?

The Great Compromise (representation)

⅗ Compromise (counting slaves as population or property)

The Electoral College (how to choose a president)

What did delegates who supported the New Jersey Plan want representation in government based on?

Equal representation

What kind of states typically supported the New Jersey Plan?

Small states

What did delegates who supported the Virginia Plan want representation in government based on?

Population

What kind of states typically supported the Virginia Plan?

Large states

What was the compromise made between the New Jersey Plan and the Virginia Plan & what did this compromise create?

The Great Compromise- created a bicameral (two-part)  legislature. Representation in one house is based on state population and representation in the other house is equal for every state.

What is representation in the House of Representatives based on

Population

What is representation in the Senate based on?

It is equal for every state. Each state gets two senators.

Did people in the South want enslaved people to count toward the population?

Yes- counting the slaves toward their population would make their population numbers much higher. Higher population numbers would allow them to have more representatives in government, therefore giving them more say/influence in making laws in the government.

Did people in the North want enslaved people to count toward the population? (Yes or no and explain why)

No- the North reminded the South that slaves were their “property,” and you could not count “property” as people. The North also did not want the South to have more representatives in the government, so they rejected the idea of counting slaves as population in the South. 

The North instead wanted the South to get taxed for their slaves or “property.” Giving the South property taxes on their slaves would, in a way, punish them for having them.

What was the name of the compromise created in regard to slavery and representation?

Three-Fifths Compromise: Slaves will count as ⅗ of a person for the purpose of representation and how much tax will be paid.

Why was the South willing to accept the Three-Fifths Compromise? (Hint: They had more slaves than Northern states, so what would more slaves/POPULATION do for them in government?)

Counting every 3 out of 5 slaves in the South made their population numbers go up, therefore they got more representatives in the government. They were willing to accept this agreement because it increased their political influence. (more representatives = more political influence)

What were the two perspectives when it came to choosing who should elect the president? (Hint: popular vote or congress chooses)

If Congress were to choose the president, it would be giving too much power to the government.

If the people were to choose the president (popular vote), then the North would have an unfair advantage, as the North has a higher voting population than the South does. They would get to choose the president without the South even having a chance.

What was the compromise that was made in regard to electing the president? 

The Electoral College was created. Each state selects electors. The electors’ job is to elect the president based on the results of how people vote in their state.