Study Guide for Chapter 9

The Confederation and the Constitution, 1776-1790

Part I Reviewing the Chapter

 

A.   Checklist of Learning Objectives

After mastering this chapter, you should be able to

1. Explain how and why the United States replaced the Articles of Confederation with the Constitution.
2. Describe the basic intentions of the Founding Fathers and how they incorporated their principles into the Constitution.
3. Describe the process of ratification of the Constitution.
4. Explain the effects of the Revolution on American society and politics at the state and national levels.
5. Describe the government of the Articles of Confederation and indicate its achievements and failures.
6. Explain the crucial role of Shay’s rebellion in sparking the movement for a new Constitution.
7. Describe the anti-federalists and their social, economic, and political differences with the federalists.
1. Glossary

To build your social science vocabulary, familiarize your self with the following terms.

1. disestablish To separate an official state church from its connection with the government.

2. Emancipation setting free from servitude or slavery

3. Chattel an article of personal or movable property; hence a term applied to slaves, since they were considered the personal property of their owners.

4. abolitionist favoring the end of slavery

5. ratification The confirmation or validation of an act (such as the constitution) by authoritative approval.

6. bill of rights A list of fundamental freedoms assumed to be central to society.

7. aliens Foreigners; also, persons resident in but not citizens of a country.

8. township in America, a surveyed territory six miles square; the term also refers to a unit of social government, smaller than a country that is often based on these survey units.

9. Territory In American, government an organized political entity not yet enjoying full equal terms of a state.

10. Annex To make a smaller territory or political unit part of a larger one.

11. Requisition a demand for something issued on the basis of public authority.

12. Foreclosure depriving someone of the right to redeem mortgaged property because the legal payments on the loan have not been kept up.

13. Quorum the minimum number of persons who must be present in a group before it can conduct valid business.

14. Anarchy the theory that formal government is unnecessary and wrong in principle; the term is also used generally for lawlessness or anti-governmental disorder.

15. Bicameral, unicameral referring to a legislative body with two houses (bicameral) or one (unicameral). “…representation in both houses of a bicameral congress should be based on population…”

 

PART II: Checking Your Progress

A.  True-False

Where the statement is true, mark T. where the statement is false, mark F, and correct in the space immediately below.

___  1.The American Revolution created a substantial though not radical push in the direction of social and political equality.

 

___  2. The movement toward the separation of church and state was greatly accelerated by the disestablishment of the Anglican Church in Virginia.

 

___  3. After the revolution, Americans made a strong effort to abolish slavery in both the north and the south.

___  4. Drawing up a written fundamental law in a special constitutional convention and then submitting the document directly to the people for ratification was an important idea of the revolutionary period.

 

___  5. The state governments after the revolution stayed mostly under tight political control of the eastern seaboard elite.

 

___  6. The United States experienced hard economic times and some social discontent during the years of the Confederation (1781-1787)

___  7. The greatest failure of the national government under the Articles of Confederation was its inability to deal with the issue of the western lands.

 

___  8. The Articles of Confederation were weak because they contained neither an executive nor power to tax or regulate commerce.

___  9. The Northwest Ordinance originally attempted to make the western territories permanent colonial possessions of the US.

 

___ 10. Shay’s rebellion significantly strengthened the movement for a stronger central government by raising the fear of anarchy among conservatives.

___ 11. The states sent their delegates to Philadelphia in 1787 for the clear purpose of writing a new Constitution with a strong central government

 

___ 12. The delegates to the constitutional convention were a good cross-section of  American society at that time.

___ 13. The “Great Compromise” at the convention resulted in a bicameral legislature, with different principles of representation in the house and the senate.

 

___ 14. The anti-federalists opposed the Constitution partly because they thought it gave too much power to the states and not enough to Congress.

 

___ 15. The federalists used tough political maneuvering and the promise of a bill of rights to win a narrow ratification of the Constitution in key states.

 

B.  Multiple Choice

Select the best answer and write the proper letter in the space provided.

__ 1. Among the important changes brought about by the American revolution was

a.    the abolition of slavery in all states .

b.    a strong movement toward equality of property rights.

c.    The increasing separation of church and state.

d.    Full equality and voting rights for women

___ 2. A major new political innovation that emerged in the revolutionary era was

           A. the election of legislative representative representatives capable of voting on

 Taxation

           B. the shifting of power from legislative to the executive branch in the government.

           C. the idea of a written constitution drafted by the convention and ratified by direct

               Vote of the people                        

     D. the regulation of land sales by the courts.

___ 3. Despite the revolutions emphasis on human rights and equality, the founding  fathers failed to abolish slavery because

A.   they saw it was necessary to maintain American power

B.   they feared black rebellion if slavery would be removed

C.   of their political fear that a fight over slavery would destroy fragile national unity

D.   none of them believed that slavery was wrong

___ 4. The ideal of “republican motherhood” that emerged from the American Revolution held that

A.   women should be rewarded politically for having helped established the American republic

B.   women had special responsibility to cultivate the “civic virtues” of republicanism in their children

C.   the government should establish social services to help mothers raise their children

D.   mothers should be granted full political and economic rights in American republic

___ 5. In the new state constitutions written after the revolution, the most powerful branch of government was

A.   the legislative branch

B.   the executive branch

C.   the judicial branch

D.   the military branch

___ 6. One way the American independence actually harmed the nation’s economic fortunes was by

A.   ending all British trade and investment in America

B.   abolishing the stable currency system that had existed under the empire

C.   cutting off American trade with the British empire

D.   weakening manufacturing efforts begun under the British

___ 7. Attempts to establish strong governments in post-revolutionary America were seriously hindered by

A.   the lack of strong leadership available in the new nation

B.   the revolutionary ideology that preached natural rights and suspicion of all governments authority

C.   the hostility of the clergy toward the idea of separation of church and state

D.   the fear that a strong government would suppress economic development

___ 8. The primary political obstacle to the formation of the first American government under the Articles of Confederation was

A.   disputes among the jealous states over control of western states

B.   disagreement over relative power of congress and the executive branch

C.   conflict over the right congress to regulate trade and manufacturing

D.   conflict over slavery between northern and southern states

 

___ 9. The greatest weakness of the government under the Articles of Confederation was that

A.   it was unable to deal with the issues of western lands.

B. it had no power to regulate commerce or collect taxes from the sovereign states.

C. it had no power to establish relations with foreign governments.

 D .The legislative branch was unable to cope with the powerful executive branch

___ 10 the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 provided that

A.   the states should retain permanent control over western lands

B.   money from the sale of western lands should be used to promote manufacturing

C.   after sufficient population growth, western lands could be organized and then join the union as states

D.   the settlers in the northwest could vote on whether or not they should have slavery

___ 11. Shays rebellion contributed to the movement for a new constitution by

A.   demonstrating the desire of western farmers for a strong government to assist them.

B.   raising the fear of anarchy and disorder among wealthy conservatives.

C.   raising the prospect of British and French interference in American domestic affairs.

D.   demonstrating the Northwest Ordinance had failed to resolve western land issues.

___ 12. Besides George Washington, the most influential figures in the Constitutional Convention included

A.   Alexander Hamilton, Daniel Shays, and John Hancock

B.   Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, and Thomas Paine

C.   John Adams, Abigail Adams, and Governor Morris

D.   Benjamin Franklin, James Madison, and Alexander Hamilton

___ 13. The ”Great Compromise” in the Constitutional Convention provided that

A.   the House of Representatives would be elected by the people and the Senate by state legislatures.

B.   the large states would be taxed on the basis of population and the small states on territory

C.   there would be separation of powers between the executive and legislative branches of the government

D.   There would be representation by population in the House of Representatives but equal representation of all states in the Senate.

___ 14. Antifederalists generally found their greatest support among

A.   small states like Delaware and New Jersey

B.   the commercial areas of the eastern seaboard

C.   the poorer debtors and farmers

D.   the wealthy and well educated

___ 15. The crucial federalist successes in the fight for ratification occurred in the states of

A.   Georgia, Maryland, and Delaware

B.   Massachusetts, New York, and Virginia

C.   Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Rhode Island

D.   Connecticut, South Carolina, and New Hampshire

 

C .Identification - Supply the correct identification for each numbered description

 

_______   1.  New name for the Anglican Church after it was disestablished and de-anglicized in Virginia and elsewhere

_______    2. The idea that American women had a special responsibility to cultivate “civic virtue” in their children

 

_______    3. A type of special assembly, originally developed in Massachusetts, for drawing up a

                        fundamental law that would be superior to ordinary law.

 

_______    4. The first constitutional government of the United States

 

_______    5. The territory north of Ohio and east of the Mississippi governed by the acts of 1785

                       and 1787

_______    6. One-square-mile areas, thirty-six of which composed a township, with one area set

                       aside for the support of school

_______    7. The status of a western area under the Northwest Ordinance after it established an

                     organized government but before it became a state

_______    8. A failed revolt in 1786 by poor debtor farmers that raised fear of “mobocracy”

 

_______    9. The plan proposed by Virginia at the Constitutional Convention for a bicameral

                       legislature with representation based on population

 

_______   10. The plan proposed by New Jersey for a unicameral legislature with equal

                        representation of states regardless of size and population

_______   11. The compromise between north and south that resulted in each slave being counted

                        as 60 percent of a free person for purposes of representation

_______   12. The opponents of the Constitution who argued against creating such a strong central

                        government

_______   13. A masterly series of pro-Constitution articles printed in New York by Jay, Madison,

                        and Hamilton.

_______   14. The official under the new Constitution who would be commander in chief of the

                   armed forces, appoint judges and other officials, and have the power to veto legislation

_______   15. A list of guarantees that federalists promised to add to the Constitution in order to

                       win ratification.

 

D .Matching People, Places, and Events

                 Match the person, place, or event in the left column with the proper description                                                                                            in the right column by inserting the correct letter on the blank line

___ 1. Society of the Cincinnati                    A. group that failed to block the central                  

___ 2. Virginia Statue for religious                    government they feared but did force

           Freedom                                                  the promise of the bill of rights

___ 3. Articles of Confederation                   B. father of the Constitution and author of   

___ 4. Northwest ordinance of 1787                  Federalist No. 10

___ 5. Dye of Algiers                                    C. an exclusive order of military officers 

___ 6. Daniel Shays                                           that aroused strong democratic opposition

___ 7. George Washington                            D. wealthy conservatives devoted to

___ 8. James Madison                                        republicanism who engineered a non-

___ 9. Federalists                                                violent political transformation

___ 10. Antifederalsits                                   E. Legislation passed by an alliance of         

___ 11. Patrick Henry                                         Jefferson and the Baptists that

___ 12. Alexander Hamilton                              disestablished the Anglican Church

___ 13. John Jay                                             F. war veteran who led poor farmers into        

___ 14. Massachusetts                                        revolt that failed but had far-reaching  

___ 15. New York                                             consequences

 G. North African leader who took advantage of the weakness of the Articles of

  Confederation to attack American shipping

H. the only state to allow a direct vote on  the Constitution

I. frustrated foreign affairs secretary under  the Articles; one of the three authors of The Federalist

J. legislation that provided for the orderly transformation of the western territories            into states                                                                                     

K. First of the key states where federalists won by a narrow margin over the opposition of antifederalist Sam Adams

L. Virginia antifederalist leader who thought the Constitution spelled the end of liberty and equality

M. Unanimously elected chairman of the secret convention of “demi-gods”

N. young New Yorker who argued eloquently for the Constitution even though he favored an even stronger central government

O. Document of 1781 that was put out of business by the Constitution

 

E. Putting Things in Order

Put the following events in correct order by numbering from 1 to 5.

___ Fifty-five “demi-gods” meet secretly in Philadelphia to draft a new charter of government       

___ the first American national government, more a league of states than a real government, goes into

         effect.

___ at the request of Congress, the states draft new constitutions based on the authority of the people

___ the Constitution is ratified by the nine states necessary to put into effect

___ Debtor farmers fail in a rebellion, setting off conservative fears and demands for a stronger central

       government to control anarchy

F. Matching Cause and Effect

Match the historical cause in the left column with the proper effect in the right column.

___ 1. The American Revolution                    A. forced acceptance of the “Three-fifth Compromise,”

___ 2. Agreement among states to give                counting each slave as three-fifths of person

            up western land claims                              B. made federalists promise to add a

___ 3. The weakness of the Articles of                          bill of rights to the Constitution                                                 Confederation                                              C. nearly bankrupted the national

___ 4. Shay’s rebellion                                                government and invited assaults 

___ 5. The conflict in the Constitutional Con-               on American interests by foreign                                                        vention between large and small states            powers

___ 6. The North-South conflict in the                    D. laid the basis for Virginia Statute for                                           Constitutional Convention over                         Religious Freedom                                             counting slaves for representation              E. brought about somewhat greater 

___ 7. A meeting in Annapolis to discuss                    social and economic equality and                                                revising the Articles of Confederation               the virtual end of slavery in the North

___ 8. Antifederalist fears that the Constitution                                                                                     would destroy liberties                                  F. finally brought New York to ratify     

___ 9. The Federalist and fears that New York               the Constitution by a narrow margin                                                 would e left out of the union                       G. issued a call to congress for a

___ 10. The disestablishment of the Anglican              special convention to revise                                                      Church                                                              the Articles of Confederation

                                                                                 H. forced the adoption of the “Great                        Compromise” and bicameral legislature

                                                                                 I. scared conservatives and made them determined to strengthen the central government against debtors

                                                                                 J. made possible the approval of the Articles of Confederation and the passage of two important laws governing western lands

 

G. Developing Historical Skills

     Interpreting a chart

Analyzing a chart in more detail can enhance understanding of the historical information in the text and add further information. The chart on p.182 provides information on the voting for ratification of the Constitution in the states

     Answer the following questions:

1.        Look carefully at the vote in the five most populous states. What conclusions can you draw about the relation between population and support for ratification?

 

 

 

2. Look at the vote in the five most populous states. In what ways would the figures support your conclusion about the relation between population and support for ratification in #1 how would the results in New Hampshire and Rhode Island partially qualify that conclusion?

 

 

 

 

3. Look at the relation between region and date of ratification. Which region—New England, the mid-Atlantic states, or the south had—had only one state ratify after January of 1788? Which region had only one state ratify before April 1788? In which region was opinion more evenly divided?

 

 

 

 

4. The text indicates that four states—Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Virginia, and New York—were the keys to ratification. How many total delegates would have had to switch sides in order for all those states to have opposed ratification? (Remember that each change subtracts from one side and adds to the other.)                                      

 

 

H. Map Mastery

     Map discrimination

Using the maps and charts in chapter 9, answer the following questions.

1. Which two of the thirteen states had the largest western land claims?

 

 

2. Which states had claims in the area that became the Old Northwest Territory?

 

3. Which nation exercised the greatest foreign influence in the American Southwest                      from 1783 to 1787?

 

4. Of the measures that strengthened the central government under the Constitution as compared with the Articles of Confederation, how many dealt with economic matters?

 

 

5. In which four states was there little or no opposition to the Constitution?

 

 

6. In which four states was support for the Constitution strong---two to one or three to one---but not overwhelming?

 

7. In which five states was the Constitution ratified by very slender margins?

 

 

8. Of the top five states in population, how many had extremely narrow votes in favor of the Constitution (less than twenty votes difference)?

 

9. About how many years after the Constitution was officially guaranteed approval (with nine states ratifying) did the last state ratify?

 

10. Frontiersmen were generally antifederalist, but in which two large states was there greater federalist support or a more even division on the issue?

 

 

 

 

Map Challenge (Optional)

Using the map on p.183 write a brief essay describing how the factors of (a) nearness to the commercial seacoast and (b) size of state influenced profederalist or antifederalist views. Indicate which states were exceptions to the general pattern.

 

 

 

 

Part III: Applying What You Have Learned

1. How did the revolutionary American ideas of natural human rights, equality, and freedom from governmental tyranny affect developments in the immediate post-revolutionary period (1783-1789)?
2. How were women and African-Americans affected by the ideas of the American Revolution? Why was slavery abolished in the north but not in the entire nation?
3. Which problems of the post- Revolutionary period and weakness of the Articles of Confederation lead to the adoption of the new Constitution?
4. What were the basic features of the new Constitution, and how did they differ from the government under the Articles of Confederation?
5. Who were the federalist and the antifederalist, what were the issues that divided them, and why did the federalists win?
6. Should the Constitution be seen as a conservative reaction to the Revolution, an enshrinement of revolutionary principles, or both? What was most truly original about the constitution?
7. In chapters 4&5, the basic structure of early American society and economy was described. How did the structure affect the political developments during the period from the Revolution to the Constitution? How did the Revolution and the Constitution affect the issues of social structure, economic equality, and the distribution of power?