Unit 3 Review—The New Nation
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When the United States got its independence from Britain in 1783, they formed a government based upon a
“republic.” What is a republic?
What was the name of America’s first national government?
Describe the relationship of power between the national government and the state governments during the era
under the Articles of Confederation
Why did the Americans create such a weak national government when they formed the Articles of Confederation?
Two part question: (a) Name 1 reason the national government under the Articles of Confederation could be
considered a “success”. (b) Name 2 reasons it could be considered a “failure”
One of the laws passed by Congress under the Articles of Confederation was the Land Ordinance of 1785. What did
this law do?
One of the laws passed by Congress under the Articles of Confederation was the Northwest Ordinance of 1787.
Explain how this law allowed western territories to become states.
Two part question regarding laws passed by Congress during the Articles of Confederation: (a) How did the Land
Ordinance of 1785 encourage education? (b) How did the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 deal with slavery?
How did Shays’ Rebellion lead to the formation of the Constitution?
Why did 55 Americans meet in Philadelphia in 1787?
Name 2 ways the national government under the Constitution was stronger than the national government under
the Articles of Confederation.
During the Constitutional Convention of 1787, James Madison suggested that the national government have a
president, a bi-cameral congress, and state representation in this congress determined by a state’s population size.
What was the name of this plan that favored the large states?
During the Constitutional Convention of 1787, the small states suggested that the national government have a
congress in which every state had an equal number of representatives so that the large states did not overpower
the smaller states. What was the name of this plan?
During the Constitutional Convention of 1787, how did the “Great Compromise” settle the disagreement between
the Virginia Plan and New Jersey Plan?
During the Constitutional Convention of 1787, the Southern and Northern states disagreed over how to count
slaves towards a state’s population size. This was important because state population was used to determine the
number of representatives each state had in the House of Representatives and was used to determine each state’s
taxes. How did the founding fathers settle this disagreement?
During the Constitutional Convention of 1787, what decision did the founding fathers make about whether or not
to end slavery?
The Constitution is based on 5 major principles: popular sovereignty, limited government, federalism, separation of
powers, and checks and balances. What are (a) popular sovereignty, and (b) limited government?
The Constitution is based on 5 major principles: popular sovereignty, limited government, federalism, separation of
powers, and checks and balances. What are (a) separation of powers, and (b) checks and balances?
The Constitution is based on 5 major principles: popular sovereignty, limited government, federalism, separation of
powers, and checks and balances. What is federalism?
Three part question: (a) Which Article of the Constitution describes the legislative branch of government? (b)
Which Article describes the executive branch? (c) Which Article describes the judicial branch?
Name one Constitutional power of the (a) legislative branch, (b) executive branch, (c) judicial branch.
Three part question: According to the Constitution, how long is the term of office for (a) a member of the House of
Representative? (b) a U.S. Senator, (c) the President?
When the Constitution was approved by the members of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787, it
had to be ratified. What does “ratification” mean?
Two groups played key roles in the debate over the ratification of the Constitution. One group favored the strong
powers given to the national government and wanted this Constitution to be ratified. The other group feared
these new powers and thought that the Constitution should not be ratified. What were the names of these two
groups?
What were the “Federalist Papers”?
What compromise was reached between the Federalists and Anti-Federalists that helped ensure that the
Constitution would be ratified?
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Who were the first two American presidents?
Which U.S. president agreed to the Judiciary Act of 1789, created the first cabinet, and approved of Hamilton’s
Financial Plan?
Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson were important members of Washington’s first cabinet, but they
disagreed on a lot of issues. Name 3 differences between Hamilton and Jefferson.
When Washington was president, Alexander Hamilton proposed a Financial Plan to improve the American
economy. Name two parts to his plan.
Why did Jefferson so strongly oppose Hamilton’s plan to create a national Bank of the United States?
Why is Article I, Section 8, Clause 18 of the Constitution called the “Elastic Clause”?
What were America’s first two political parties?
Two part question: (a) What caused the Whiskey Rebellion? (b) How did this rebellion come to an end?
How did Shays’ Rebellion and the Whiskey Rebellion reveal differences between the powers of the national
governments of the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution?
Three part question: (a) Which two nations went to war in 1793 that was a problem during Washington and Adams
presidencies? (b) Which side did Jefferson support in this war? (c) What decision did Washington make regarding
American involvement in this war?
What two pieces of advice did Washington give Americans in his Farewell Address in 1796?
Name two precedents that were established by George Washington while he was president.
During the presidency of John Adams, France and England were at war and the French were seizing American
merchant ships. When Adams tried to negotiate an end to this harassment, French officials demanded a bribe.
What was the name of this event?
Why were the Alien and Sedition Acts that were passed by Federalists during John Adams presidency such a big
mistake for the Federalists?
Jefferson and Madison were so outraged by the Alien and Sedition Acts passed by Federalists that they wrote a
essays arguing that states can ignore (“nullify”) national laws that are unfair. What was the name of this series of
essays? (Hint, they are named after two states).
Two part question: (a) Who won the Election of 1800 and became our third president? (b) Which political party
was he a part of?
Unit 3 The New Nation
The ANSWERS
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A form of democracy in which people elect their leaders who then represent them in government.
The Articles of Confederation
Any one of the following is acceptable: The states had more power than the national government; The national
government was weak while the states were strong; The states almost like independent countries and were not
very united; The states formed a “loose league of friendship” under the national government and were not very
united.
They wanted to protect the people and the state governments from “tyranny”—from the abuses of a strong
national government; so they did not let the national government have the power to tax or have a president
because they did not want to create another “Stamp Act” or another “King George”
(a) The national government did not become tyrannical; did not overtax the states (because the government did
not have the power to tax) and did not tax away citizens liberties (because the national government had few
powers at all); The national government dealt with western lands well with the Land Ordinance of 1785 and the
Northwest Ordinance of 1787. (b) The national government was too weak; it did not have the power to tax, had
no president to offer leadership, had no national courts, had no way of unifying the states together, had no
national currency, and could not raise an army to put down Shays’ Rebellion in 1787.
It divided the Northwest Territories (Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin) into 36 square mile “townships”
that were divided into 36 small farms; The 16th farm was not sold, but reserved for a school and post office.
Once 5,000 people moved to a territory, citizens could apply for a self-governing legislature; But when 60,000
people moved to a territory, citizens could apply to become a state. You will also need to know for the test that
the Northwest Ordinance outlawed slavery in these territories.
(a) This law divided western territories into townships with 36 farms per town. The 16th farm was not sold and was
always reserved for a public school. The school was funded by taxes from the other 35 farms; (b) The Northwest
Ordinance of 1787 outlawed slavery in the northwest territories (Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin)
This rebellion proved that the Articles of Confederation were too weak. When the national government could not
collect taxes to raise an army to stop the rebellion, people began calling for a stronger national government and
the Constitution was created (which replaced the Articles as our national government)
This meeting was called the Constitutional Convention and was held to find ways to revise the Articles of
Confederation. Instead of fixing the Articles, they replaced this national government with the Constitution.
Under the Constitution, the national government had the power to tax, a president, a national court system, a
national currency, a national bank and had supremacy over the states.
The Virginia Plan
The New Jersey Plan
This compromise created a bi-cameral Congress with a House of Representatives and a Senate. The Senate made
the small states happy because each state had two representatives, regardless of its population size. In the House
of Representatives, state population size was used to determine the number of representatives. The larger states
had more votes than the small states. To pass a law, both the House and the Senate had to have majority votes.
The Three-Fifths Compromise allowed states to count 3 of every 5 slaves. The South benefitted because they had
more votes in the House of Representatives, but they also had to pay more in taxes.
They compromised by not discussing slavery for 20 years.
(a) The idea that the people (popular) have power (sovereignty) over their government. American citizens have the
real power because they vote for leaders. (b) The national government cannot take away citizens liberties and
freedoms.
(a) Power of the national government is divided among three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial
branches. Each has their own powers and responsibilities; (b) Each branch also has some power over the other
two branches. For example, Congress might pass a bill, but the President can veto this bill and not allow it to
become a law.
The idea that power is divided between the national government and state governments. The national government
has powers to declare war, coin money, make laws and taxes, but the states have powers to create school, roads,
make laws and taxes.
(a) Article I, (b) Article II, (c) Article III
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(a) Congress has the power to make laws, pass taxes, coin money, declare war, approve treaties, impeach and
remove federal officials; (b) the president has the power to enforce the laws passed by Congress, oversee the
executive departments, negotiate treaties, appoint judges, and veto bills approved by Congress; (c) The courts
have the power to conduct trials, review the actions of the other two branches, and declare laws unconstitutional.
(a) 2 years, (b) 6 years, (c) 4 years
To be approved by the states. Nine of the 13 states had to ratify the Constitution to make it legal.
The Federalists and Anti-Federalists
A series of essays written by Hamilton and Madison that argued in favor of ratification of the new Constitution.
These essays were important in that they helped convince people that a stronger national government was
needed.
The Federalists agreed to include a Bill of Rights in the Constitution. A Bill of Rights was demanded by the AntiFederalists in order to protect the rights of citizens from their national government.
George Washington and John Adams
George Washington
Any three will do: Hamilton was Sec of Treasury/ Jefferson was Sec of State; Hamilton believed in a strong
national government/Jefferson believed in a weak national government and more power to states; Hamilton
wanted the “elite” to rule/Jefferson wanted the “people” to rule; Hamilton believed that the Constitution could be
“loosely” interpreted/Jefferson believed it had to be “strictly” interpreted; Hamilton wanted a national bank and
the “assumption” of state debts/Jefferson did not; Hamilton supported Britain/ Jefferson supported France.
Any two will do: The national government should pay off all state debts (called “assumption”); the national
government should pay off all debts at full face value (“funding”) rather than cutting deals and paying less money
than the U.S. owes; create a Bank of the United States (national bank) to regulate the money supply; create a
“whiskey” tax to pay off the national and state debts; create a protective tariff (tax) on foreign goods in order to
promote “American industry” (this protective tariff was the only part of the Financial Plan that did not pass
Congress).
The national bank would give too much power to the wealthy “elite” or too much power to the national
government; The Constitution did not give Congress the power to make a bank (this strict interpretation of the
Constitution is called “strict construction”).
This gives Congress flexibility to create laws that are not stated in the Constitution is they are “necessary and
proper” (needed and don’t hurt anyone).
Federalists and Democratic-Republicans (“Republicans”)
(a) Hamilton encouraged Congress to pass a tax on whiskey and poor farmers in western Pennsylvania did not feel
like this tax was fair. (b) The rebellion ended when Washington showed up with 13,000 troops and ended the
rebellion
Shays’ Rebellion showed how weak the national government was during the era of the Articles of Confederation
(no power to tax so the government couldn’t stop the rebellion); Whiskey Rebellion showed how much stronger
the national government was during the era of the Constitution (the national government could tax and create an
army to stop the rebellion).
(a) Britain and France; (b) France; (c) Proclamation of Neutrality; he said that America would not help either side.
Watch out for political parties; Avoid “entangling alliances” with foreign nations, especially European nations.
Any two will do: two terms, strong/active leader, title is “Mr. President,” create a cabinet of advisors, America
should remain neutral in foreign wars.
XYZ Affair
This laws make it illegal to criticize the president; Republicans argued that this was a violation of peoples’ right to
freedom of speech. The Federalists were never able to recover from this mistake.
Virginia and Kentucky Resolves
(a) Thomas Jefferson; (b) Democratic-Republican (“Republican”)