Creating a Nation: Legacy of War, Articles of Confederation and the US Constitution

Name ______Page___

Target 1: Legacy of the War for Independence

  1. Explain the social, political and economic problems the newly independent nation face after winning the war. Include and expand on these topics: Slavery, Government, Citizenship, Currency, Trade, Debt, Land/States

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Social:

Political:

Economic:

Target 2: Articles of Confederation

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  1. What were the Articles of Confederation? Why was they written and when?
  1. Describe the design of the government under the Articles of Confederation. What were the branches and their roles?
  1. Under the Articles of Confederation, who had more powers – states or federal government? Is this a pro or a con? Why?

Target 3: Strengths of the Articles of Confederation:

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  1. Explain the provisions and impact of Land Ordinance of 1785.
  1. One of the successes of the Articles of Confederation was the passage of the Northwest Ordinance in 1787. What was the Northwest Ordinance? Explain at least four provisions of this ordinance.
  1. Explain why the Northwest Ordinance and Land Ordinance would be considered successes of the AOC?
  1. Explain the difference between the Land Ordinance and the Northwest Ordinance.

Target 4: Weaknesses of the AOC

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  1. Identify threemajor problems that occurred under the Articles of Confederation? (Consider economics, military, politics, branches of government, amendments)
  1. What is Shays’ Rebellion and how did Shays’ Rebellion illustrate the problems of the AOC? What did it cause Americans to consider?

Target 5: Creating the Constitution

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  1. It took four months for the Constitutional Convention delegates to agree to abolish the Articles of Confederation and create the US Constitution. Namethree compromises that were made in writing and ratifying the U.S. Constitution(Hints – think about representation in the legislature, slave trade, slave count toward representation,how to elect the president)
  1. What were the Federalist/Anti-Federalist argumentsfor and against ratifying the Constitution:
  2. Federalists said….

b. Anti-Federalists argued…

Target 6: Principles of the Constitution

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  1. Definefederalism. Give an example of how it works.
  1. Define and give examples of delegated powers.
  1. Define and give examples of reserved powers.
  1. Define and give examples of concurrent powers.
  1. The U.S. Constitution provides for a separation of powers among the three branches of government. Explain the main purpose for each branch. Also, explain who makes up each branch.
  1. Executive

Main Purpose:

Made up of:

  1. Legislative

Main Purpose

Made up of:

  1. Judicial

Main Purpose:

Made up of:

  1. What is bicameralism? Explain how it works in the United States government.
  1. What is meant by “checks and balances” in the Constitution? How do the three branches limit each other’s power? Give two examples of how each check the other. (Think about lawmaking, nominations of Supreme Court Judges, ambassadors, war, taxation).
  1. Define what is meant by meant by republicanism? Give an example in the US Constitution.
  1. Define what is meant by popular sovereignty.
  1. Explain what is meant by “limited government” in the US Constitution.
  1. Where would one find the concept of individual rights in the US Constitution?

Target 7: The Actual Document – The US Constitution

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  1. What is the set up of the Constitution (how does it start, how many articles, how does it end, how many amendments are there?)
  1. What is the main idea of each of the Articles of the Constitution: (By the way, there are 7 articles)
  1. What are the Bill of Rights and how do they limit the government and protect individuals?
  1. Define amendment. How many amendments are there in the Constitution? Name the 5 most important to you by number and main idea.

Target 8: Primary and Secondary Sources: Read and Interpret Constitutional Documents

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Creating the Nation Target Sheet – a Pretest and Review Guide