Unit 3 Test Study Guide
1) What powers did the Articles of Confederation not give to Congress?
1) power to tax
2) regulate trade
2) After the Revolutionary War, states imposed taxes and restrictions on imported goods.
What did these cause British merchants to do? Land their goods at states that had the
lowest taxes for fewest restrictions.
3) What did news of Shays’ Rebellion convince the Congress to do? Call a convention of
the states to revise the Articles of Confederation.
4) What was the only state to not send delegates to the Constitutional Convention?
Rhode Island
5) What did the Virginia Plan propose (what were its provisions) and who did it benefit?
Two houses of Congress (bicameral), three branches of government, get rid of the
Articles of Confederation, allow government to tax, and benefit large states
(population)
6) What are the two requirements for amending the Constitution?
Proposal and ratification (The wedding)
7) What were people who wanted ratification of the Constitution called?
Federalists
8) What was the real issue for opponents of the Constitution? Whether the National
government or the state governments would be supreme
9) Why couldn’t loyalists recover their confiscated property after the Revolutionary War?
The Confederation Congress could not compel (make) the states fulfill this
agreement. (Weak central government: no executive or judicial branches)
10) What was the cause of Shays’ Rebellion? The government of Massachusetts decided to
raise taxes to pay off its debts instead of issuing paper money
11) Who was chosen as the presiding officer of the Constitutional Convention?
George Washington
12) What type of people were Antifederalists? Western farmers, states’ rights supporters
13) Name of the first government of the United States? Articles of Confederation
14) Name the spark that inspired the Founding Fathers to think about changing the first
government? Shays Rebellion
15) What was the main Weakness of the Articles of Confederation? It lacked the power to
tax and regulate interstate commerce
16) What were the supporters of a strong central government called? Nationalists
17) Who is known as the “father of the Constitution”? James Madison
18) Know the positions of the Federalists (what were they for and against)? Separation of
powers & checks and balances were needed, federal power was needed to manage
trade, defense, and foreign relations, and individual rights did not need to be
specifically guaranteed.
19) What document was written by George Mason? Virginia Declaration of Rights
20) What did the passage of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom do? Abolished the
special status of the Anglican Church in Virginia
21) Know the leading Antifederalists. Patrick Henry, Richard Henry Lee, Sam Adams
22) Know the leading Federalists. George Washington, John Adams, James Madison,
John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, and Benjamin Franklin
23) Why was a Bill of Rights added to the Constitution? It was necessary to convince some
states to ratify the Constitution
24) How did the Constitution differ from the Articles of Confederation? Created a national
government having three branches, strong central government, ability to tax and
control trade
25) Which part of government allows for the will of the people to be heard?
House of Representatives
26) Understand Checks and Balances President has veto powers, President appoints
federal judges, Congress can override vetoes, Congress can approve or reject
appointments, Judicial can declare laws unconstitutional or constitutional
27) Know the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation (what it provided) a weak
national government, no power to tax, no executive or judicial branch
28) What was the MAIN reason the British accepted American independence? They had
grown tired of the expense of the fighting
29) What are powers granted only to the National Government called? Enumerated powers
30) What are powers granted only to the State Government called? Reserved powers
31) Where did the founding fathers meet to discuss changing the government? Philadelphia
32) What was the main reason the Articles of Confederation establish a weak political
system? To prevent the abuses of power that had existed under British rule
33) What plan brought the small states and big states into agreement?
The Great Compromise (Connecticut)
34) How many amendments make up the Bill of Rights? 10
35) What did the Northwest Ordinance do? Ban slavery North and West of the Ohio
River, created a process to fund public schools, and established how a territory
became a state.
36) What resolved the issue of how to count slaves for taxation and representation?
3/5 compromise
37) Where did the ultimate power reside (rest) with the Articles of Confederation? The states
38) Know your branches of government. Executive, Legislative, Judicial
39) Know your Bill of Rights. (especially the first 5)
40) Name of the collection of essays written by James Madison to get the Constitution
passed? The Federalist Papers