Forming A New National Government

Question 1

What came about from the Great Revolution of 1688?

Answer 1

The English Bill of Rights

Question 2

America’s government is based on what 3 documents?

Answer 2

1. Magna Carta
2. Mayflower Compact
3. English Bill of Rights

Question 3

What are 3 important facts about the Magna Carta?

Answer 3

1. Established the idea of limited government
2. The first document to give citizens rights
3. First document to restrict the power of the monarch

Question 4

Which document re-established rights from the Magna Carta?

Answer 4

English Bill of Rights

Question 5

Why did the Articles of Confederation give a lot of power to the states and not much power to the central government?

Answer 5

They feared the tyranny of the central government if it was given too much power.

Question 6

What was a main weakness of the Articles of Confederation?

Answer 6

Weak central government - not good for creating a unified country that is able to protect its citizens.

Question 7

What body did the Second Continental Congress appoint to create the Articles of Confederation?

Answer 7

The Committee of Thirteen

Question 8

Why did Maryland not want to ratify the Articles of Confederation?

Answer 8

Maryland wanted other states to give up their western land claims because Maryland already had a western border - considered unfair that all other states can expand their territory.

Question 9

Who assured Maryland that states would give up their western land claims under the Articles of Confederation?

Answer 9

Thomas Jefferson

Question 10

When did Maryland ratify the Articles of Confederation, putting it into effect?

Answer 10

March 1781

Question 11

Under the Articles of Confederation, what became the national government?

Answer 11

Congress

Question 12

What is a township?

Answer 12

A 36 square mile region divided into 36 lots of 640 acres (1 square mile).

Question 13

Why did congress pass the land Ordinance of 1785? What was it?

Answer 13

To pay off war debt;

A system of buying unclaimed western lands

Question 14

Under the Land Ordinance of 1785, how many lots were reserved for public schools? Veterans? How many were sold to the public?

Answer 14

1, 4, 31 (remaining lots)

Question 15

Which 6 states were established from the Northwest Ordinance of 1787?

Answer 15

Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin

Question 16

What was the Northwest Ordinance of 1787?

Answer 16

A system of bringing new states into the Union.

Question 17

Under the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, once the population of a territory reached ______ settlers, it could draft a constitution and ask congress to become a state.

Answer 17

60,000

Question 18

Name 3 things enforced under the Northwest Ordinance of 1787.

Answer 18

1. Protected civil liberties
2. Required public education
3. Banned slavery in new territories

Question 19

Under the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, slavery was banned in new territories. What exception to this rule caused conflict that eventually led to the civil war?

Answer 19

People were allowed to bring in their own slaves.

Question 20

What was the state originally formed in upper east Tennessee called?

Answer 20

Franklin

Question 21

Which state opposed the creation of Franklin as a new state?

Answer 21

North Carolina

Question 22

The state of Franklin became an example of what?

Answer 22

The short-lived American Confederation government.

Question 23

Why did farmers in Massachusetts start Shay’s rebellion?

Answer 23

Massachusetts collected taxes instead of printing paper money to pay off its war debt. Farmers were unable to pay off this tax, so they were forced to sell their property, which angered them.

Question 24

Where and when did Shay’s Rebellion take place?

Answer 24

Springfield, Massachusetts. August 1786

Question 25

When was Shay’s rebellion stopped?

Answer 25

January 1787

Question 26

How did Shay’s Rebellion make more Americans call for a revision of the Articles of Confederation to make a stronger central government?

Answer 26

They recognized that a stronger central government could have been able to stop the rebellion more quickly - A strong central government is needed to protect citizens.

Question 27

Why was the Constitutional Convention called?

Answer 27

To revise the Articles of Confederation because it created a weak central government.

Question 28

When and where did the Constitutional Convention take place?

Answer 28

Independence Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. May 1787

Question 29

Who was elected as president of the Constitutional Convention?

Answer 29

George Washington, a delegate from Virginia.

Question 30

Who was called “The Father of the Constitution” because of his excellent note-taking in the Constitutional Convention?

Answer 30

James Madison

Question 31

Why didn’t women, African Americans, and Native Americans participate in the Constitutional Convention?

Answer 31

They did not have the same rights as regular citizens.

Question 32

Who introduced the Virginia Plan?

Answer 32

Edmund Randolph

Question 33

Under the Virginia Plan, how many houses would make up the legislature?

Answer 33

2 - bicameral

Question 34

Under the Virginia Plan, how would the number of representatives per state be chosen?

Answer 34

Based on state population

Question 35

How did basing the number of representatives per state off of state population anger the smaller states?

Answer 35

They believed that it gave too much power to the larger states because they had more representatives.

Question 36

Who proposed the New Jersey Plan?

Answer 36

William Paterson

Question 37

Under the New Jersey Plan, how many houses would make up the legislature?

Answer 37

1 - unicameral

Question 38

How would the New Jersey Plan determine how many votes each state would get?

Answer 38

1 per state - gave equal voice in government

Question 39

Under the New Jersey Plan, what 2 things were the federal government allowed to do?

Answer 39

1. Tax citizens in all states

2. Regulate commerce

Question 40

What was the main purpose of the New Jersey Plan?

Answer 40

To prevent larger states from having too much power.