Economy & Trade
Name one important part of New Hampshire's economy in 1787.
Farming, fishing, timber, or trade.
Was New Hampshire a large or small state in 1787?
A small state.
What was the first national system of government used by the United States?
The Articles of Confederation.
In what year was the Constitutional Convention held?
1787.
In which region of the United States was New Hampshire located?
New England, in the northern part of the country.
Why did New Hampshire want trade between states to work better?
Trade was important to its economy, and disagreements between states made business harder.
What did New Hampshire fear about larger states?
That larger states would have too much political power.
What did the Articles allow states to keep a lot of?
Their independence and power to govern themselves.
What was the main goal of the Constitutional Convention?
To address the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and create a stronger national government.
Name one natural resource important to New Hampshire's economy.
Timber, or wood from its forests.
What did the national government struggle to collect under the Articles of Confederation?
Taxes.
What did New Hampshire want to protect besides its economy?
Its independence and political voice.
Name one major weakness of the national government under the Articles.
It could not directly tax citizens or effectively regulate interstate commerce.
What agreement balanced the interests of large and small states?
The Great Compromise.
Did New Hampshire ratify the Constitution before or after the Constitutional Convention ended?
After the Convention ended.
How could a stronger national government help New Hampshire's economy?
It could regulate trade between states and collect taxes to pay national debts.
In which part of Congress does each state have equal representation?
The Senate.
Why did the national government struggle to pay its debts?
It could request money from states but could not directly force citizens to pay national taxes.
How does the Great Compromise determine representation in Congress?
The House of Representatives is based on population, while every state has equal representation in the Senate.
On what date did New Hampshire ratify the Constitution?
June 21, 1788.
Why was New Hampshire's economy different from that of many Southern states?
It relied more on farming, fishing, timber, and trade, and less on enslaved labor.
Why was equal representation in the Senate important to New Hampshire?
It meant New Hampshire would have the same number of senators as larger states, protecting its voice in Congress.
Why might New Hampshire want to keep some of the system established by the Articles?
It valued state independence and feared that a powerful national government could take away local control.
What balance did New Hampshire want from the new government?
A government strong enough to solve national problems but one that also protected state interests and the political voice of small states.
Why was New Hampshire's ratification especially important?
It became the ninth state to ratify the Constitution, meeting the requirement for it to take effect among the ratifying states.