STUDY GUIDE: Unit 3 (The Articles of Confederation) PDF

# STUDY GUIDE: Unit 3 (The Articles of Confederation) ## Essential Questions/ Big Ideas 1. What led the United States to replace the Articles of Confederation with the U.S. Constitution? 2. How do media and public opinion influence society? 3. How and why do individuals and groups structure power?...

# STUDY GUIDE: Unit 3 (The Articles of Confederation) ## Essential Questions/ Big Ideas 1. What led the United States to replace the Articles of Confederation with the U.S. Constitution? 2. How do media and public opinion influence society? 3. How and why do individuals and groups structure power? 4. What is the purpose of the government? 5. How does discontent promote societal change? 6. Why do people go to war/rebel? ## Vocabulary | Word | Definition | |---|---| | Amendment | A change or addition to a legal document | | Anti-Federalist | A person who opposed the ratification of the U.S. Constitution | | Bicameral | Having two legislative chambers | | Compromise | An agreement reached by mutual concessions | | Confederation | A union of sovereign states | | Constitution | A body of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is acknowledged to be governed | | % Compromise | A compromise where each party concedes a percentage of their demands | | Domestic | Relating to or occurring within one's country | | Draft | To select individuals for compulsory military service | | Electoral College | A body of electors established by the U.S. Constitution, constituted every four years for the sole purpose of electing the president and vice president of the United States | | Federalist | A person who supported the ratification of the U.S. Constitution | | Foreign | Relating to other countries | | Great Compromise | An agreement reached by the Constitutional Convention that established a bicameral legislature with the House of Representatives based on population and the Senate with equal representation for each state | | Land Ordinance of 1785 | A law passed by the Confederation Congress that established a system for surveying and selling western lands | | Northwest Ordinance of 1787 | A law passed by the Confederation Congress that established a system for governing the Northwest Territory and created a process for admitting new states to the Union | | Ordinance | A law made by a local government | | Ratify/Ratification | To formally approve or sanction | | Unicameral | Having a single legislative chamber | ## If the Articles of Confederation could give more power to the national government … **Ya that would be great!** ## You like the articles of confederation? **You must love rebellions and economic collapse** # History 7: The outcome of the American Revolution was national independence and new political, social and economic relationships for the American people. ## 7.1 What is a sovereign/independent nation? What can it do? A sovereign nation has the power to do everything necessary to govern itself - such as making & enforcing laws, declaring war, forming treaties, & trading with foreign nations ## 7.2 Create a drawing in the boxes below to show your understanding of the characteristics of the U.S. Government under the Articles of Confederation. **Answers Will Vary:** - **Loose Union among the states:** Draw a map of the United States with each state representing a separate, independent entity. - **State governments are stronger than the national government:** Draw a large, dominant symbol for each state, and a much smaller, less prominent symbol for the national government. - **Each state has 1 vote in a one-house (unicameral) legislature.:** Draw a representation of a single legislative chamber with each state having one seat. ## 7.5 Explain how the American Revolution impacted the creation of the Articles of Confederation, how people viewed their government, and the economy. | Impact Of The American Revolution | Structure of Government in the Articles of Confederation | |---|---| | Americans were worried about having a powerful tyrant take away their freedoms like King George III did during the years prior to the American Revolution. | **THEREFORE:** There was no chief executive and they created a confederation | | Americans had just fought a war about unfair taxation. | **THEREFORE:** Congress was not given the power to collect taxes and debts. | | Americans were worried about having to support a standing army like they did when the British army was stationed in the colonies after the F&I War. | **THEREFORE:** Congress did not have the power to draft an army | ## 7.3 Identify achievements of the U.S. Government under the Articles of Confederation. - The United States won the American Revolution and achieved independence from Great Britain. - The United States passed two laws about native lands: - Land Ordinance of 1785 - Northwest Ordinance of 1787 ## 7.4 Identify conflicts that occurred in the United States under the Articles of Confederation. - **Shay's Rebellion**: Rebellion (rebellion over taxes in Massachusetts) - **Problems with interstate trade**: (trade between states) - since there were many types of currencies ## Word Bank (For 7.3, 7.4, and 7.5) | Word | Definition | |---|---| | Taxes & Debts | Financial obligations owed to the government | | Shay's Rebellion | An uprising of farmers in Massachusetts protesting high taxes and debt | | Land | Real estate | | Independence | Freedom from external control | | Native | Indigenous people | | Interstate | Relating to or connecting different states | | Currencies | Systems of money | | Northwest | Relating to the region west of the Appalachian Mountains | | Confederation | An association of sovereign states | | Army | A body of soldiers | | American Revolution | The war for independence fought by the American colonies against Great Britain | # History 8: Problems arising under the Articles of Confederation led to debate over the adoption of the U.S. Constitution. ## 8.1 National Security Weaknesses - There was no power to draft a national army. - There was no chief executive so there was a lack of clear leadership in the government. ## 8.1 How did these weaknesses impact the national security of the country? Because the national government did not have the power to _draft_ an army (they had to ask for militiamen from each state), the United States was very _vulnerable_ to attacks from _foreign_ enemies (like Great Britain) and also from _domestic_ enemies (like the unruly farmers in _Shay’s Rebellion_). ## 8.2 Economic Weaknesses - The national government had no power to collect taxes or debts. - Congress could not regulate _interstate trade_. - There were too many different types of currency and most of them were worthless. ## 8.2 How did these weaknesses impact the stability of the economy? Congress did not have the power to collect _taxes_ to pay back war _debts_ and had to ask the states for money. Also, the national government did not have the power to regulate _interstate trade_ (commerce) - meaning that each state could put import taxes on any goods they wanted to - making prices unreasonable. Finally, there was high _inflation_ - meaning the value of money decreased while the prices of goods increased. The national government did not issue a standard _currency_. This meant that each state printed their own money, making trade between states extremely difficult. ## Word Bank | Word | Definition | |---|---| | Inflation | A general increase in prices and a fall in the purchasing value of money. | | Chief Executive | The head of a government, often a president or prime minister | | Foreign | Relating to other countries | | Leadership | The ability to guide or influence others | | Currency | A system of money in general use in a particular country | | Draft | To select individuals for compulsory military service | | Vulnerable | Susceptible to harm or attack | | Interstate Trade | The exchange of goods and services between different states | | Domestic | Relating to or occurring within one's country | | Shay's Rebellion | An uprising of farmers in Massachusetts protesting high taxes and debt | | Debts | Amounts of money owed | | Taxes | Compulsory contributions levied by a government to finance its activities | # History 8 CONTINUED: Problems arising under the Articles of Confederation led to debate over the adoption of the U.S. Constitution. ## 8.3 Legislative Weaknesses - Explain how the legislative process under the Articles made the government unresponsive to the needs of the American people. ### What does "legislative process" mean? **This is the lawmaking process of Congress** ### Now explain why that was difficult under the Articles of Confederation. - It took _9_ /13 states to approve the passing of new laws, meaning _few_ new laws ever got passed. If there was an emergency and a new law was needed, it would often take too long to get passed if it was _unpopular_. - In addition, _13_ /13 states had to agree on any changes to the government itself (amendments) - meaning it was almost impossible to change the Articles of Confederation. - There was no _national court_ system, so disputes between states could not be settled fairly. ### Was the government able to respond to what the American people needed or wanted quickly & effectively? Why or why not? **No, because it was extremely difficult to change a law or create an amendment** ## Word Bank - 13 - No, because it was extremely difficult to change a law or create an amendment. - few - This is the lawmaking process of Congress. - 9 - national court - unpopular # The Great Compromise: How to represent states in Congress ## Opposing Views | Group | View | |---|---| | **Small States (New Jersey Plan)** | Wanted congressional representation to be equal for all states (like it was under the Articles of Confederation). They feared losing power to states with larger populations. | | **Large States (Virginia Plan)** | Wanted congressional representation to be based on the population of a state. More people = More Representatives = more votes = more power | ## Solution **GREAT COMPROMISE** - Created a **bicameral** (2-house) legislature. - **Senate**: equal representation - each state has 2 senators - **House of Representatives** = representation based on population of the state. More people = more representatives # The % Compromise: How to count slaves in the population ## Opposing Views | Group | View | |---|---| | **North** | Did NOT want slaves to count for representation purposes, but DID want the slaves to count for taxation purposes | | **South** | Wanted to count slaves for representation purposes, but NOT for taxation purposes | ## Solution **3/5 COMPROMISE** - Slaves would be counted as 3/5 of 1 for BOTH representation AND taxation purposes. # The Election Compromise: How to elect the President ## Opposing Views | Group | View | |---|---| | **Federalists** | Common people _cannot_ be trusted to choose a good leader. Therefore, we should have a _group_ choose the president to prevent the masses from choosing a bad person to be President. | | **Anti-Federalists** | Common people _can_ be trusted to choose a good leader. The President should be elected directly by the _voters_/people. The people need to hold the power to keep the government accountable to their needs. | ## Solution - The people vote for the members of the _Electoral College_. - The _Electoral College_ then votes for the _President_. This was also another way to balance the power between states with a small population and those with a large population. By determining Electoral College votes using the number of _Senators_ (2) + the number of members of the _House of Representatives_ (varies by population), the Founders ensured that both small and large states would have a proportional say in the election of the president. ## Word Bank (for the questions above) | Word | Definition | |---|---| | Balance | To maintain a state of equilibrium | | Cannot | Implies an inability to perform a specific action | | Electoral College | A body of electors established by the U.S. Constitution, constituted every four years for the sole purpose of electing the president and vice president of the United States | | Group | A collection of individuals with a common purpose | | Voters/People | Individuals who have the right to vote | | Directly | Without any intermediary | | House of Representatives | The lower chamber of the U.S. Congress | | President| The head of state and head of government of the United States | | Can | Implies an ability to perform a specific action | | Senators | Elected representatives of the U.S. Senate | # 8.12 Explain how the concerns of the Federalists and Anti-Federalists led to the creation of a Bill of Rights to the U.S. Constitution. ## Concerns about the proposed Constitution | Group | Concerns | |---|---| | **Federalists** | Wanted to _ratify_ the new Constitution. Wanted a strong _federal_ government. Feared _disorder_ that was caused under AOC | | **Anti-Federalists** | Did _not_ Want to _ratify_ the new Constitution. Wanted stronger _state_ governments like under the AOC. Feared a powerful national government that would take away their _rights_. | ## Solution/Compromise - WHY was a Bill of Rights added? - The Bill of Rights was added to protect the rights of the people from a stronger national government. - This would make the _Anti-Federalists_ happy so they would then ratify the Constitution. - Ratifying the Constitution would make the _Federalists_ happy because they would get a stronger national government. # History 8 CONTINUED: Problems arising under the Articles of Confederation led to debate over the adoption of the U.S. Constitution. ## Geography 17: The movement of people, products and ideas resulted in new patterns of settlement and land use that influenced the political and economic development of the United States. ## 17.7 Identify the boundaries of the United States immediately following the American Revolution. The U.S. borders were: - **British Canada** to the North - **Mississippi River** to the West - **Spanish Florida** to the South - **Atlantic Ocean** to the East ## 17.8 Identify why Americans were motivated to move westward. **They wanted more land, resources, and economic opportunities.** ## 17.9 Describe the difference between the Land Ordinance of 1785 and the Northwest Ordinance of 1787. - **The Land Ordinance Provided a way for the government to easily sell and divide up land. It did this by creating townships** - **The Northwest Ordinance describes the process for adding new STATES in the Northwest territory and explained how those states should be structured.** ## 17.10 Explain how the Northwest Ordinance impacted the orderly expansion of the United States (the creation of new states). - **The Northwest Ordinance helped to create new States in the United States.** - **The Northwest Ordinance was created in 1787.** - **It set up procedures for adding new states to the U.S.** - **Once a territory reached 60,000 people, or the population of the smallest state at the time, it could apply for statehood.** - **This procedure was used for adding many other states to the United States later on.** ## 17.11 Explain how the Northwest Ordinance impacted the political development of the United States (rights, freedoms, and laws of the country). - New states would be treated _equally_ to the original 13 states. - No _slavery_ would be allowed in the new states created in the Northwest Territory. - People living in the Northwest Territory would have the right to trial by _jury_. - People living in the Northwest Territory would have the right to choose any _religion_ they wanted. - The new states created must create a government that is a _republic_. - The people would then vote for representatives who made laws for them. # Government 21: Informed citizens understand how media and communication technology influence public opinion. ## 21.7 Both the Federalist Papers and the Anti-Federalist Papers had a great impact on the creation of our U.S. Constitution and the government we have today. Both sets of essays were propaganda. - **Define Propaganda:** Information that is designed to _PERSUADE_ an audience to _follow_ or _adopt_ a certain viewpoint or political belief. ## Propaganda Title | Purpose | Government document they helped to create/approve: |---|---|---| | **The Federalist Papers** | Explained all the reasons why the United States SHOULD ratify the US Constitution. Argued the Constitution was necessary & good for the country. | **Resulted in the ratification of the US Constitution** | | **The Anti-Federalist Papers** | Written in response to the Federalist Papers to explain why the U.S. Should NOT ratify the Constitution. The people who supported this document were afraid of creating a _strong_ federal government that could take away peoples' rights. | **Resulted in the creation of a Bill of Rights to the US Constitution** | ## Enrichment Extension Opportunities - 7.8 - Assess how America would be different today if Britain had won the American Revolution. - 8.13 - Assess the validity of the claim that "the Articles were the perfect transitional government for the newly freed country." - 17.12 - Explain the current settlement patterns in the United States and how they are impacting Congressional and Electoral College representation. - 21.8 - Explain 2 specific examples of how Facebook, Twitter and other social media impact public opinion today.