Articles of Confederation Test

Constitution

A plan of government

What could the central government do?

Wage war, deal with other countries, borrow money, military

What were the Articles of Confederation?

America's first constitution

What did congress lack the power to do?

Regulate trade, impose taxes, require people to join the military, no president

How many votes in Congress did each state have under the Articles of Confederation?

Each state had one vote, regardless of how large the population.

How many votes were required before any laws were passed under the Articles of Confederation?

9 out of 13

How many votes were required to change a law under the Articles of Confederation?

13 out of 13

What might be the result of congress not having the power to impose taxes?

Can't pay off debt from war

Can't pay off soldiers salaries

Can't pay for a military to protect

No money to pay for anything that needs to be done!

Why types of economic problems might develop if a country uses different types of currency?

It would be difficult to trade between states if each state had a different currency. Bills from one state were worthless in another state.

Ordinance

A law

What was the purpose of the Land Ordinance of 1785?

A way to survey(divide up) and sell land in the west.

Describe how land would be added to the U.S under this ordinance:

Divided the land into 6 by 6 square mile plots called townships.

What was the purpose of the Northwest ordinance?

To create a single Northwest territory and to make sure property rights were protected within that territory.

Where was the Northwest Territory?

The land north of the Ohio River and east of the Mississippi River.

At what point could a territory apply for statehood?

When the population of the territory reached 60,000.

What rights were given to the people in the Northwest Territory?

The same rights as the original 13 states Bill of Rights= freedom of religion, right to trial by jury

What rule did the Northwest Ordinance have about slavery?

Slavery was not allowed in the Northwest Territory

Which areas were likely to be settled first? Why?

In the area that is along the Ohio River because it is the closest to the original states and the rivers would be good for transportation, trade, and food source.

How did settlers benefit from the Northwest Ordinance of 1787?

They had the rights to freedom of religion and trial by jury. There was more land for farming along rivers which was good for trade and transportation.

Describe the major money problems the US faced after the war

*Congress was unable to collect taxes, so they printed money. No gold or silver backed up the money so it wasn't worth anything.

*Prices of food and goods went up

*The war put Congress in debt after borrowing money from citizens and other countries to pay for the war.

*Congress asked the states for money to pay off the debt, but they were not required to contribute.

Congress couldn't pay off debt because...

The money they printed wasn't worth anything and they weren't allowed to tax so their was little income.

After the war, the US experienced a depression. Define depression:

A period when economic activity slows and unemployment increases.

Why did the Americans want the Articles of Confederation to change?

Because the government was too weak to deal with the nation's problems.

What led the Massachusetts farmers to rebel?

Farmers couldn't sell their goods so they couldn't pay their taxes to the state. Since they couldn't pay their taxes their land was taken away and some were jailed if they couldn't pay.

What did Shay's rebellion prove that the Congress lacked power to do?

*Control unrest and prevent violence

*Couldn't enforce laws

*There was no money to pay for protection or enforcement of laws.

Strengths of the Articles of Confederation:

*Created the Land Ordinance of 1785 to divide up and sell western lands.

*Passed the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 to ensure property rights and statehood in the Northwest Territory.

*Was the country's government in the Revolutionary War

*Negotiated the Treaty of Paris to end the Revolutionary War

Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation:

*No money to tax= to money to pay off debt

*No power to regulate trade= no power to tell states how they should or shouldn't trade with other states.

*No power to enforce laws

*No power to protect people from unrest and violence= no money to pay for protection

What did the people want the government to be like?

*Has enough power to do its job

*Doesn't give one person too much power

*Considers the needs of all states

*People have a say

*Protects individual rights

What is a confederation?

A group of people working together for a purpose

What was it like with their first attempt of government?

*Each state was independent and had its own government.

*Each state would send representatives to the "Congress of the Confederation."

*The Congress was the only central government. There was no president.

*In Congress, each state got one vote.

(T/F) Under the Articles of Confederation, a president would lead the country.

False

(T/F) Under the Articles of Confederation states would be independent.

True

(T/F) The Articles of Confederation were easy to change.

False

(T/F) The more people a state had, the more votes it got in Congress.

False

(T/F) Congress did not have the power to collect taxes.

True

(T/F) Congress could pass laws and enforce states to follow them.

False

(T/F) The Articles of Confederation created the first American government.

True

(T/F) Everybody thought the central government should have more power.

False

(T/F) Some people were afraid that states might lose their independence.

True

(T/F) Different states had different needs for the government to meet.

True

(T/F) The states all got along with eachother.

False

(T/F) The government created by the Articles of Confederation had everything under control among the states.

False

Did the Articles of Confederation require states to treat other states the same as their own citizens?

No

Did the Articles of Confederation require states to follow the laws Congress passed?

No

How many states had to agree in order for the Articles of Confederation to be changed?

All states