ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION
Under the Articles, who had most of the power: the states or the national government?
states.
In which state did Shays' Rebellion take place?
Massachusetts
In what year was the Northwest Ordinance passed?
1787
Which country allied with the American colonies in their war for independence?
France
What were the three main regions of the 13 colonies?
Middle Colonies
Southern Colonies
What important power did Congress lack that made it difficult to pay soldiers and debts?
The power to collect taxes directly.
What group of people led Shays' Rebellion?
Farmers
What did the Northwest Ordinance create a plan for?
Adding new states to the United States
What were colonists who supported independence called?
patriots
Which delegate signed their name REALLY BIG on the Declaration of Independence?
John Hancock
What is a Confederation?
A group of states that work together
What financial problems caused farmers to rebel?
High taxes, debts, and the threat of losing their farms or going to prison.
How many people did a territory need before it could apply to become a state?
60,000
Why did the British Army want to control important cities and rivers?
To disrupt American communications and supplies
Which Indigenous nation lived in the area that later became New York City and encountered Dutch colonists?
Lenape
Why did printing more money not automatically solve Congress's financial problems?
Printing money did not create resources or guarantee that the money would keep its value.
How did Shays' Rebellion reveal a weakness of the national government?
It showed that the national government was too weak to respond effectively to major unrest.
What rule did the Northwest Ordinance establish about slavery?
It banned slavery in the Northwest Territory, although existing slavery and some forced labor continued.
Name one strategy the American Army used against the stronger British Army.
Sneak attacks
Which 1776 document declared that the 13 colonies were independent from Britain?
The Declaration of Independence
Explain how Congress could have the power to raise an army but still struggle to support it.
Congress could raise an army, but it could not force states to provide the money needed to pay and supply soldiers.
How did Shays' Rebellion help convince some American leaders that the country needed a new Constitution?
It raised fears that the weak national government could not maintain stability, encouraging calls for a stronger federal government.
Explain one way the Northwest Ordinance helped white settlers but harmed Indigenous nations.
It opened opportunities for white settlers to acquire land and form states, while encouraging expansion onto lands already inhabited and claimed by Indigenous nations.
In what Virginia city did the British surrender to the American and French armies?
Yorktown
The Declaration claimed that all men were created equal. Name two groups that were denied equal rights or freedom in 1776.
Black Americans and Women.