Name _______________________ UNIT 4 – EXPERIMENTS IN GOVERNMENT- Creating a New Republic
1. REVOLUTIONARY CHANGES AND THE CRITICAL PERIOD
After declaring independence, the 13 states were united in the fight against England. After the war ended, the 13
states now lacked a common cause to keep united under one government. Many states were unwilling to give
power to a strong federal government, leading to a weak and ineffective government known as the Articles of
Confederation. Although England gave up claims to govern us after we won the Revolution (Treaty of Paris), many
problems remained for Americans to face. Slavery emerged as a divisive sectional issue because slaves did not
receive their freedom. America’s economy was plagued by debt and inflation and now had to find new allies to
trade with. Although the Treaty of Paris gave the U.S. the land east of the Mississippi River, England refused to
give up all its claims to this land, and supported Native Americans against western colonial settlers. The world
watched as our new republic demonstrated ideas of democracy such as shared power and citizen participation in
government. Our revolution stirred the idea of revolutions in Europe (French Revolution) and inspired Latin
American nations in their struggle to become independent from Spain.
Essential Questions
Vocabulary
1. What problems had to be addressed by the U.S. Articles of Confederation
at the end of the revolution?
2. ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION
The Articles of Confederation was an attempt to “loosely” join the new 13 states. It was given few real powers, as
states were afraid of replacing one strong government (England) with another. Our new government had no
president, or judicial branch. It could not settle disputes between states, and had limited power to raise money.
Each state had equal representation in the legislative branch. It did however, pass the Land Ordinance and the
Northwest Ordinance, which helped settle territory above the Ohio River and set up a plan for future territories to
join the Union. Shays’ Rebellion (farmers protested high taxes and rebelled) in Massachusetts showed the people
that a stronger federal government was needed. A convention was called to revise the Articles, but instead, it was
decided a whole new government would be created.
Essential Questions
Vocabulary
1. What weaknesses caused the Articles of Shays’ Rebellion
Confederation to fail?
Land Ordinance of 1785
Northwest Ordinance
3. THE WRITING, STRUCTURE, AND ADOPTION OF THE U.S. CONSTITUTION
After declaring independence from England in 1776, each state had to write its own Constitution outlining the
laws and principles of its state. John Jay was responsible for writing New York’s Constitution. Our New York
Constitution was written before the U.S. Constitution and may have served as a model. Our state constitution
called for 3 branches of government: an executive branch headed by a governor, a legislative branch (bicameral)
consisting of the State Senate and State Assembly, and a judicial branch (Court of Appeals is our highest state
court).
Through a “bundle of compromises” such as the Great Compromise (3 branches of government: one executive, a
bicameral legislature [Senate - equal representation, House of Representatives - more people equals more
delegates], and judicial branch), and the 3/5 Compromise (every 5 slaves will count as three people, in order to
determine a state’s population) a plan of government was ratified. A census is taken every ten years to determine
each state’s population. The government set up by the Constitution is a representative democracy (“We the
people…”) in which people hold the real power. The personal leadership of Washington, Franklin, Madison,
Hamilton and the Federalist Papers (series of pamphlets written to explain why the Constitution should be
accepted) helped it gain ratification in 1789. The Constitution is the “supreme law of the land.”
Essential Questions
Vocabulary
1. How was power divided in the New York State John Jay
Constitution?
Federalists/Anti-Federalists
2. What compromises were made at the
Constitutional
Convention
regarding James Madison
representation in Congress?
Ratify
Bicameral legislature
3. What was the purpose of the Federalist Republic
Papers?
Constitution