ush

1. Using the table, write down the strengths and weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation. 

2. What was the Northwest Ordinance?

It was a law that was passed under the Articles of Confederation in regard to the Northwest Territory. It established the government in the Northwest Territory, guaranteed rights and freedoms for the settlers there, and established an official process for admitting new states to the US.

3. What process did the Northwest Ordinance establish/outline?

It outlined/established the process of admitting new states to the Union (turning territories into official states)

4. What kind of government did the Articles of Confederation create? (consider both federal government and state governments)

A WEAK national government

5. What led the founding fathers to creating a central government that was so weak? 

They feared the rule experienced under the British monarchy (King George)

6. What occurred during Shays’ Rebellion?

Daniel Shays led an angry group of farmers to protest/violently attack courthouses and government buildings because they were mad about the taxes that the State of Massachusetts was putting on them. The federal government had no power nor army to stop the rebellions- the state had to figure it out on their own.

7. What was the impact of Shays’ Rebellion? 

The founding fathers realized that they needed to change the Articles of Confederation- they realized it was too weak.

8. 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).

Constitutional convention

1. Why was the Constitutional Convention held? (What were their original intentions in calling the meeting together?)

To revise (fix) the Articles of Confederation

2. What is a compromise?

When both sides give something up in order to reach an agreement 

3. 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)

The Great compromise

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

Equal representation 

5. What kind of states typically supported the New Jersey Plan?

Small states

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

Population

7. What kind of states typically supported the Virginia Plan?

Large states

8. 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.

9. What is representation in the House of Representatives based on?

Population

10. What is representation in the Senate based on?

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

Three-fifths compromise

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

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.

12. 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.

13. 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.

14. 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)

Electoral college

1. 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.

2. 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.