Causes of the Revolution
The American Revolution
The Articles of Confederation
Potpourri
The Constitutional Convention
100
The American Revolution began when shots were fired at
Lexington
100
Which of the following advantages was held by the British at the beginning of the war?
a. They had won the hearts and minds of the colonists.
b. The British army had more weapons and ships than the Continental Army.
c. British generals respected the fighting powers of their opponents.
d. All the soldiers fighting for the British were personally dedicated to the war.
b
100
Which of the following is not a weakness under the Articles of Confederation?
- Congress could not levy or collect taxes.
- Congress was powerless to regulate interstate commerce and foreign trade.
- Each state had only one vote in Congress, regardless of its size.
- A two-thirds majority (9 out of 13 states) was required to pass laws.
- Articles could only be amended with the consent of all states.
- No separate executive branch to enforce acts of Congress
- No system of federal courts
- No legal authority to raise and maintain an army or a navy.
No legal authority ro raise and maintain an army or a navy
100
The Articles of Confederation granted the power to levy and collect taxes to the
States
100
Federalists favored ratification of the Constitution because they
believed that only a strong federal government could address the nation's difficulties.
200
Which two acts did not include a new tax?
Quartering Act and Coercive/Intolerable Acts
200
The French made an open alliance with the United States following which battle?
Despite defeats later in the year, 1777 began with Patriot victories at Princeton and Saratoga, the latter leading to the emergence of France as an official ally in 1778.
200
Under the Articles of Confederation, small states like Rhode Island, wielded as much power as large states such as Virginia, because
each state had one vote in Congress.
200
To win support for the Constitution, Federalists promised to add
the Bill of Rights
200
Antifederalists criticized the Constitution as
concentrating too much power in the hands of a few.
300
Explain why Parliament did not understand the colonists’ argument “no taxation without representation.”
Members of Parliament believed that they represented all British subjects, and that the colonists were part of that group.
300
Why was the Battle of Bunker Hill considered a pyrrhic victory for the British?
The British lost twice as many troops as did the Patriots
300
What was the Land Ordinance of 1785? What groups of Americans benefited from this land ordinance, and why?
The Land Ordinance of 1785 provided a grid system for dividing and selling the public lands in the West. The price and size of lots favored wealthy land speculators.
300
"Father of the Constitution". His proposals for an effective government became the Virginia Plan, which was the basis for the Constitution. He was responsible for drafting most of the language of the Constitution.
James Madison
300
Think about the challenges the United States faced with Britain in its early years of nationhood. Then, identify one challenge and explain why Congress failed to solve it.
The British kept frontier forts inside American territory. The weak and impoverished Congress could not raise an army to drive out the British.
400
Define natural rights. How did Jefferson use this concept to justify the Declaration of Independence?
They are fundamental rights that all people possess and that governments cannot take away. Jefferson said that the king of England had violated the natural rights of the colonists; therefore, the colonists had no choice but to declare independence.
400
What was the Treaty of Paris? What effect did it have on the territory of North America?
The Treaty of Paris ended the American Revolution. It gave more land to the United States than the Patriots had won in the war; it effectively divided the northern part of North America into two countries—Canada and the United States; and it made no provisions for allowing Native American control over any land.
400
What was the Northwest Ordinance of 1787?
Set up rules and procedures for territories to request admission into the United States as a state. At first, the Congress would appoint a territorial government led by a governor, secretary, and three judges. The citizens would enjoy freedom of religion, trial by jury, and the rights of common law, including habeas corpus. Once a territory had 5,000 men, they could establish an elected assembly—but the governor retained an absolute veto over its laws. When the population of a territory reached 60,000, the people could request admission to the Union as a state on equal terms with the original 13 states, provided the new state adopted a republican constitution. The Northwest Territory later formed the midwestern states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and part of Minnesota. The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 also barred slavery from this territory, which meant that the five new states would enter the Union as free states rather than slave states.
400
American patriot, writer, printer, and inventor. During the Revolutionary War he was the ambassador to France and persuaded them to help the colonists.
Benjamin Franklin
400
What new system of national government did the delegates agree upon at the Constitutional Convention of 1787? Explain your answer.
A federal system. The delegates agreed to adopt a system that divided power between the federal government and state governments; the federal government would have three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. The legislative branch would be bicameral, with one house’s representation based on a state’s population and the other house’s representation equal for all states. A strong President would head the executive branch, and federal courts would make up the judicial branch.
500
What were the Intolerable Acts? How did colonists in Massachusetts and throughout the colonies respond to them?
The Intolerable Acts were a set of laws that punished Boston (after the Boston Tea Party) by closing ports and giving power to the governor at the expense of the assembly. Colonists responded by sending delegates to the First Continental Congress, which announced a boycott of all British imports.
500
Explain the circumstances and the ultimate consequence of the Battle of Yorktown in 1781?
During the late summer of 1781, Washington boldly and rapidly marched most of his troops south. He planned to trap Cornwallis’s army at Yorktown, Virginia. For the plan to work, however, Washington needed a French fleet to arrive at the right moment to prevent the British navy from evacuating their army by sea. Although Washington thought that a French fleet was on its way, he could not be certain when it would arrive. The French fleet appeared at just the right moment to block the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, trapping the British navy. Given the lack of efficient long distance communication, this coordination was an incredible stroke of luck for the Patriots. Trapped by land and by sea, Cornwallis surrendered his army of 8,000 at Yorktown on October 19. The French had made the critical difference. At Yorktown, their soldiers and sailors outnumbered Washington’s Americans. This was the last major battle of the Revolutionary War.
500
What was Shay's Rebellion and why was it an important event in American history?
In western Massachusetts in 1786, farmers took up arms to shut down the courts to block any foreclosure hearings. Farmers did not want to lose their property or go to prison, but they could not pay the higher taxes imposed by the Massachusetts government. One of their leaders was Daniel Shays, a veteran of the Revolutionary War. In 1787, he led about 1,000 farmers to seize weapons from the Springfield Armory
and again attempted to shut down the courts. But the elected leaders of Massachusetts
insisted that the new Republic could not survive if people violently interfered with the courts. In eastern Massachusetts, the state raised an army, which marched west to suppress what became known as Shays’ Rebellion.
This event convinced Congressional leaders that a convention was necessary to rework the Articles of Confederation.
500
This was the location of the first conflict between the French and the English in the French and Indian War.
The Ohio River Valley
500
What are the three branches of the federal government and their powers? Give an example of how one branch might check the power of another branch.
The legislative branch makes laws; the executive branch enforces laws; and the judicial branch interprets laws. Example: the executive branch could veto legislation.
