Founding a new Government: Articles of Confederation

Question 1

Define government.

Answer 1

A political system which exercises authority

Question 2

Authority

Answer 2

Recognized right to control public policy

Question 3

Define public policy

Answer 3

Who gets what when and how.

Exs: food stamps, gun rights, tax breaks

Question 4

Why is the social contract important for government to work.

Answer 4

People will only submit readily to government if the government continues to help them

Question 5

The work of political philosophers influenced the founders in important ways. Name one.

Answer 5

John Locke
Thomas Hobbes
Baron de la brede et de Montesquieu

Question 6

What does the constitution seek to balance

Answer 6

Individual freedom and governmental power

Question 7

Name the big push for colonies toward independence

Answer 7

British laws

Question 8

Why did the articles of confederation fail?

Answer 8

The national government was too weak

Question 9

What was one major flaw of the constitution

Answer 9

It combines self interests as high principle

Question 10

Although the new Constitution gave new powers to the government it also

Answer 10

Sharply limited them

Question 11

Why was the bill of rights added?

Answer 11

Because the new Constitution was highly controversial at first

Question 12

What do amendments change

Answer 12

The relationship between Americans and the government

Question 13

Why did the British begin to tax the Americans?

Answer 13

The French and Indian Wars from 1756-1763 were costly and the British believed the colonists should pay for it

Question 14

Name two tariffs that were placed to tax the colonists

Answer 14

The sugar act
The stamp act
The Townsend act

Question 15

Articles of confederation

Answer 15

The United States first written condition. The country’s operative constitution for 12 years.

Question 16

Confederation

Answer 16

A system of government in which states retain sovereign authority except for the powers expressly delegated to the national government

Question 17

1600s

Answer 17

The colonies were established

Question 18

Why can complete liberty (freedom) be a bad thing?

Answer 18

Complete freedom (no government) leads to chaos “perfect freedom”

Question 19

What is the role of govenrment in relation to freedom?

Answer 19

To protect the greatest amount of liberty while still getting the benefits of government - stability and security. Politics is fighting about our stop on the coninuum of liberty and security

Question 20

When (generally) were the colonies established?

Answer 20

The 1600s.

Question 21

French and Indian War 1756-1763

What/why?

Answer 21

French v. Britain on who can control more space
Alot of indians fight on french side
Expensive, high bloodshed war
Britain decides the colonists need to pay for it through laws and taxes

Question 22

1756 Stamp Act

Answer 22

Taxes put on colonists for the first tie

All official documents need a stamp

Question 23

1770 Boston Massacre

Answer 23

first time Britain shoots an american

at a Boston protest

Question 23

1773 Tea Act

Answer 23

Britain gives a monopoly on tea to the British India Tea Company
- tea price soars

Local Bostonians dress up as Native Americans and dump the tea into the harbor
- British decide this was an affront

Pass a series of coercive acts

• close port of Boston (no shipments)
• prohibit going west
• ratchet up tension

Question 24

1774 First Continental Congress

Answer 24

Before, each colony had its own charter
- no central government

After the first CC, the colonies started to form a government that was intertwined among them
- nothing concrete comes out

Question 25

1775 Revolutionary War Begins at the Battle of ______ also the ________ Begins entering a period of Chaos because no ______ and a ____

Answer 25

Revolutionary War Begins at the Battle of Lexington and Concord and the 2nd Continental Congress

The 2nd CC in Phillidelphia created the Declaration of Independence (written by Thomas Jefferson)
- A social contract
- wanted to defend their natural rights
- did not want Britain to limit their libertty any longer
- A list saying how Britain had grieved them, heavily influenced by John Locke
- Put the US in the light of a just rebellion: GB has not lived up to Moral standards and the US has the right to throw them out and pursueit of happiness
Enters a period of Chaos because there is no govenrment and there is a war going on

Question 26

1777 Articles of Confederation

Answer 26

serve as our government until the ratification of our constituion in 1789

• our first constitution
• structure of government
  1. a congress (legislative body) with one vote perstate
  2. state appoints the legislators
  3. state pays them and instructs them
  4. In order to pass a law you need 9/13 votes
  5. to amend the articles of confederation you need 13/13 votes

Power under the Articles of confederation

1. Central government has power over foreign relations

1. declare war, make peace, appoint officers   2. all other powers reserved for the state

Question 27

Define constitution

Answer 27

A written document that expresses the power of govenrment

Question 28

Name three things that is not in the Articles of Confederation

Answer 28

1. Whats not on it?
   1. taxing
   2. regulating interstate commerce
   3. each state had their own government
   4. no stadning army
   5. postal service
   6. education
   7. no courts (state courts)
   8. no way to enforce the laws (no executive branch)

Question 29

Name two problems under the confederation

Answer 29

1. Problems with security
   
   1. shay’s Rebellion
   2. after the revolutionary war ends, the US economy was in shambles because men weren’t working while they were fighting
   3. many farmers came home and couldn’t pay back their loans

    1. state sides with creditors    3. march on state government of massachusettes and takes it over    4. illustrates the danger of weak government  2. Problems in the economy

   1. everyone had their own currency in each state
   2. trade (problems with shipment)
   3. wars