Name: ______________________________
Date: _____
U.S. History Chapter 4 Study Guide on “Forming a Government,” pp. 110-135.
Section 1: “The Articles of Confederation,” pp. 114-117.
1. Identify the following key terms and people:
a. Magna Carta: ______________________________________________________________________________________
b. English Bill of Rights: _______________________________________________________________________________
c. Constitution: ______________________________________________________________________________________
d. Virginia Statue of Religious Freedom: __________________________________________________________________
e. Suffrage: _________________________________________________________________________________________
f. Articles of Confederation: ____________________________________________________________________________
g. Ratification: _______________________________________________________________________________________
h. Land Ordinance of 1785: _____________________________________________________________________________
i. Northwest Ordinance of 1787: _________________________________________________________________________
j. Northwest Territory: _________________________________________________________________________________
2. What documents did Americans look to when creating a new government? _____________________________________
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3. Describe three key ideas from these documents that influenced U.S. government. ________________________________
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4. What two principles were common to state constitutions written during the Revolutionary War? ____________________
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5. What impact did the Virginia Statue for Religious Freedom have on the U.S. government? _________________________
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6. In what ways was suffrage expanded and limited in state constitutions? ________________________________________
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7. Identify the strengths and weaknesses of the government created by the Articles of Confederation.
The Articles of Confederation
Strengths
Weaknesses
8. What was the ratification process for the Articles of Confederation? ___________________________________________
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9. Why did the Committee of Thirteen not provide for a president in the Articles of Confederation? ____________________
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10. What are some possible problems that might result from a lack of a national court system? ________________________
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11. Under the Articles of Confederation, how did the powers of the national government compare to those of the state
governments? ________________________________________________________________________________________
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12. What was the importance of the Land Ordinance of 1785? _________________________________________________
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13. How did the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 affect the United States? __________________________________________
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14. Which states were formed out of the Northwest Territory? _________________________________________________
15. Into how many sections was a township divided? _________________________________________________________
Section 2: “The New Nation Faces Challenges,” pp. 120-124.
1. Identify the following key terms and people:
a. Tariffs: ___________________________________________________________________________________________
b. Debtors: __________________________________________________________________________________________
c. Creditors: _________________________________________________________________________________________
d. Inflation: _________________________________________________________________________________________
e. Interstate commerce: ________________________________________________________________________________
f. Depression: _______________________________________________________________________________________
g. Daniel Shays: ______________________________________________________________________________________
h. Shays Rebellion: ___________________________________________________________________________________
i. Annapolis Convention: _______________________________________________________________________________
2. What problems did the United States experience with Spain and Great Britain? __________________________________
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3. What are some possible results of the growing problems between the United States and Great Britain? Why? __________
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4. How did the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation affect U.S. relations with other nations? ___________________
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5. What difficulties were involved with interstate commerce? __________________________________________________
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6. How did closed trade markets affect the U.S. economy? ____________________________________________________
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7. What domestic economic problems did the states experience? ________________________________________________
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8. Why was the Confederation Congress unable to resolve America’s economic problems? __________________________
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9. What led to Shays’ Rebellion? ________________________________________________________________________
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10. What was the significance of Shays’ Rebellion? _________________________________________________________
11. Why did Daniel Shays and the other rebels take the actions that they did? _____________________________________
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12. Were the rebels justified? Explain your answer. __________________________________________________________
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13. How did some states address the problems of the weak national government? __________________________________
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14. Why did some states choose not to send delegates to the Annapolis Convention? _______________________________
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15. Why did some people believe the national government needed to change? _____________________________________
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16. Look at the attached map and answer the following questions:
a) Along what river did trade goods reach the port of New Orleans? _____________________________________________
b) Along what three routes did U.S. trade face foreign barriers? ________________________________________________
PLEASE GO TO THE NEXT PAGE!
Section 3: “Creating the Constitution,” pp. 125-131.
1. Identify the following key terms and people:
a. Constitutional Convention: ___________________________________________________________________________
b. James Madison: ____________________________________________________________________________________
c. Virginia Plan: ______________________________________________________________________________________
d. New Jersey Plan: ___________________________________________________________________________________
e. Great Compromise: _________________________________________________________________________________
f. Three-Fifths Compromise: ____________________________________________________________________________
g. Popular sovereignty: ________________________________________________________________________________
h. Federalism: _______________________________________________________________________________________
i. Legislative branch: __________________________________________________________________________________
j. Judicial branch: _____________________________________________________________________________________
k. Checks and balances: ________________________________________________________________________________
l. Unicameral: _______________________________________________________________________________________
m. Bicameral: _______________________________________________________________________________________
n. Sovereignty: _______________________________________________________________________________________
2. What was the purpose of the Constitutional Convention? ___________________________________________________
3. Who were some key delegates to the convention, and who served as its president? _______________________________
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4. Why was it important that most delegates had served in state legislatures? ______________________________________
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5. What were some issues that divided delegates at the Constitutional Convention? ________________________________
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6. How did the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan differ? How did the Great Compromise combine elements of the
Virginia and New Jersey Plans?
7. How did regional differences and the issue of slavery divide the Constitutional Convention? _______________________
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8. How did the Three-Fifths Compromise resolve the debate? __________________________________________________
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9. Why did the delegates agree to allow the international slave trade to continue for another twenty years? ______________
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10. What is the main responsibility of each branch of government? Why did the framers of the Constitution create a system
of checks and balances? _______________________________________________________________________________
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11. How did the framers put into practice the idea of popular sovereignty expressed in the Declaration of Independence?
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12. Did the Constitution resolve the weaknesses in the Articles of Confederation?
Did the Constitution Strengthen the National Government?
Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation
1.
Strengths of the Constitution
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2.
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3.
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4.
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5.
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6.

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
13. When did Benjamin Franklin live? _______________________________________
14. Where did he live? ____________________________________________________
15. What did he do? List 5 jobs. ____________________________________________
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16. Why is he important? Mention at least 3 reasons. _____________________________
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Section 4: “Ratifying the Constitution,” pp. 132-135.
1. Identify the following key terms and people:
a. Antifederalists: ____________________________________________________________________________________
b. George Mason: ____________________________________________________________________________________
c. Federalists: ________________________________________________________________________________________
d. Federalist Papers: __________________________________________________________________________________
e. Amendments: ______________________________________________________________________________________
f. Bill of Rights: ______________________________________________________________________________________
g. Advocate: _________________________________________________________________________________________
2. Use the chart below to identify the differing arguments of the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists for and against the
Constitution.
Arguments for and Against the Constitution
Federalists
Anti-Federalists
Names:
Names:
Views:
Views:
1.
1.
2.
2.
3.
4.
3. Who were the main authors of the Federalist Papers? ______________________________________________________
4. What fears did the Federalist Papers address? ____________________________________________________________
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5. Why did James Madison think federalism would prevent disagreement? _______________________________________
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6. Why were Virginia and New York important to the ratification of the Constitution? ______________________________
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7. Why was it important that all 13 states ratify the Constitution? _______________________________________________
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8. When did the Constitution go into effect? ________________________________________________________________
9. What did the Bill of Rights protect? ____________________________________________________________________
10. From where did legislators’ ideas for the Bill of Right come? _______________________________________________
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11. Why is being able to amend the Constitution important? ___________________________________________________
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12. How are amendments added to the Constitution? _________________________________________________________
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13. Describe the nation’s first government:
a. President: ________________________________________________________________________________________
b. Vice President: ___________________________________________________________________________________
c. Capital: _________________________________________________________________________________________
BEFORE THE TEST:
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Complete the study guide
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Organize your binder:
 Notes
 Worksheets
 Handouts
 Homework assignments
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Staple everything together
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Put your name on the front page
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STUDY!