Creating a Nation: Legacy of War, Articles of Confederation
and the US Constitution
Name ________________________________ Page___
Target 1: Legacy of the War for Independence
A. Explain the social, political and economic problems the newly independent nation
face after winning the war. Include and expand on these topics: Slavery,
Government, Citizenship, Currency, Trade, Debt, Land/States
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Social:
Political:
Economic:
Target 2: Articles of Confederation
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B. What were the Articles of Confederation? Why was they written and when?
C. Describe the design of the government under the Articles of Confederation. What
were the branches and their roles?
D. Under the Articles of Confederation, who had more powers – states or federal
government? Is this a pro or a con? Why?
Target 3: Strengths of the Articles of Confederation:
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E. Explain the provisions and impact of Land Ordinance of 1785.
F. One of the successes of the Articles of Confederation was the passage of the
Northwest Ordinance in 1787. What was the Northwest Ordinance? Explain at least
four provisions of this ordinance.
Creating the Nation Target Sheet – a Pretest and Review Guide
G. Explain why the Northwest Ordinance and Land Ordinance would be considered
successes of the AOC?
H. Explain the difference between the Land Ordinance and the Northwest Ordinance.
Target 4: Weaknesses of the AOC
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I. Identify three major problems that occurred under the Articles of Confederation?
(Consider economics, military, politics, branches of government, amendments)
J. What is Shays’ Rebellion and how did Shays’ Rebellion illustrate the problems of the
AOC? What did it cause Americans to consider?
Target 5: Creating the Constitution
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K. It took four months for the Constitutional Convention delegates to agree to abolish
the Articles of Confederation and create the US Constitution. Name three
compromises that were made in writing and ratifying the U.S. Constitution (Hints –
think about representation in the legislature, slave trade, slave count toward
representation, how to elect the president)
Creating the Nation Target Sheet – a Pretest and Review Guide
L. What were the Federalist/Anti-Federalist arguments for and against ratifying the
Constitution:
1. Federalists said….
b. Anti-Federalists argued…
Target 6: Principles of the Constitution
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M. Define federalism. Give an example of how it works.
N. Define and give examples of delegated powers.
O. Define and give examples of reserved powers.
P. Define and give examples of concurrent powers.
Q. The U.S. Constitution provides for a separation of powers among the three branches
of government. Explain the main purpose for each branch. Also, explain who makes
up each branch.
1. Executive
Main Purpose:
Made up of:
2. Legislative
Main Purpose
Made up of:
3. Judicial
Main Purpose:
Made up of:
R. What is bicameralism? Explain how it works in the United States government.
S. What is meant by “checks and balances” in the Constitution? How do the three
Creating the Nation Target Sheet – a Pretest and Review Guide
branches limit each other’s power? Give two examples of how each check the other.
(Think about lawmaking, nominations of Supreme Court Judges, ambassadors, war,
taxation).
T. Define what is meant by meant by republicanism? Give an example in the US
Constitution.
U. Define what is meant by popular sovereignty.
V. Explain what is meant by “limited government” in the US Constitution.
W. Where would one find the concept of individual rights in the US Constitution?
Target 7: The Actual Document – The US Constitution
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X. What is the set up of the Constitution (how does it start, how many articles, how does
it end, how many amendments are there?)
Y. What is the main idea of each of the Articles of the Constitution: (By the way, there
are 7 articles)
Z. What are the Bill of Rights and how do they limit the government and protect
individuals?
AA. Define amendment. How many amendments are there in the Constitution?
Name the 5 most important to you by number and main idea.
Target 8: Primary and Secondary Sources: Read and Interpret Constitutional
Documents
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Creating the Nation Target Sheet – a Pretest and Review Guide
Creating the Nation Target Sheet – a Pretest and Review Guide