Name:__________________________________ Date:__________ Period:__________
Class Notes for
A New Nation:
The Articles of Confederation
 After declaring independence in ________ Congress had tried to unite the states under
__________ national government.
 This proved to be a difficult task.
Question: Why do you think that it might have been difficult?
Answer:______________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
What was the solution to this problem?
_____________________________________________________________________________
 The Articles created “a firm league of friendship” in which “each state _____________
its ____________________________, _____________________________, and
_____________________________________________.”
 This “league of friendship” was a loose union in which ________ states cooperated for
common purposes.
 It was run by __________________, in which each state had ____________ vote.
 On paper, the Articles of Confederation gave Congress several important powers.
 These included:
1.______________________________________________
2.______________________________________________
3.______________________________________________
4.______________________________________________
 Even before the Revolutionary War ended, the states began quarreling among
themselves.
 Many of their quarrels were about ________________ on the goods that crossed state
____________________.
◦ Ex. New York taxed firewood from Connecticut and cabbages from New Jersey.
 The states also quarreled over _______________________________.
 The ________________________ of Congress to end such disagreements was one of
the key _______________________________ of the Articles of Confederation.
 Congress did get the states to agree on one important issue.
 How to develop the ________________________ lands acquired by the United States in
the ________________________________ __________ ______________________.
 The ____________________ Treaty of Paris that ended the war ceded all land east of
the _______________________________________ _____________ and south of the
_______________________ _________________ to the United States, except for
_________________________________ which Great Britain gave to Spain later that
year. Florida was later acquired from Spain by the US.
 At the time, there was no ______________________ way to divide up and ___________
these acquired lands.
 Settlers walked into the wilderness and ______________________ the land they liked.
 Disputes over who _______________ what land clogged the ___________________.
 To end this confusion, Congress passed the__________________ _________________
of _________________________.
 Under this law, western lands were divided into ____________________ squares called
________________________________.
 Each township was then divided into _____________ sections of____________ acres
each.
 One section of each square was set aside to support the township’s________________
_________________________.
 The other sections were to be sold to _____________________________.
 Surveyors proceeded to lay out townships in the ________________ ______________,
then known as the __________________________ ___________________________.
 By ___________, the government was ready to sell sections to settlers.
 This raised the question of how these areas should be governed. Were they to be
______________________ of the United States or new __________________?
 Congress answered this question in the _______________________________
__________________________________ of _____________________.
 This law divided the Northwest Territory into smaller territories, each governed by a
_____________________ ________________________.
 As soon as a territory had _______________________ free adult males, it could elect its
own_______________________________, or lawmaking body.
 When the population reached _______________________, a territory could apply to
_____________________________ to become a __________________________.
 The Northwest Ordinance included a list of __________________that gave settlers the
same ________________________________ as other citizens, except for one.
 _________________________ was banned in the Northwest Territory.
 This system of _____________________________ served the nation well.
 Over time, the United States would continue to ____________________ territories as it
spread to the _____________________ ________________________ and beyond.
 Under the________________________________________________________, the new
nation also had serious______________________________ problems.
 The _________________ money __________________________ by Congress during the
war was _________________________________.
 Congress had the power to make ___________________ that would not lose their
___________________, but it lacked gold or silver to mint into coins.
 The states reacted to the money _________________________ by printing their own
paper ____________________________.
 Before long, __________________ of different sizes and colors were floating from state
to state.
 No one knew what any of these _________________________ were worth, but most
agreed that they were not worth much.
 The money shortage was particularly hard on _________________________ who could
not earn enough to pay their ______________________ and taxes.
 In _____________________________________, judges ordered farmers to sell their
land and livestock to pay off their debts.
 Led by ______________________________ __________________, a hero of Bunker
Hill, Massachusetts farmers rebelled.
 First, ________________ and his _______________________ closed down courthouses
to keep judges from taking their farms.
 Then they marched on the national arsenal at ____________________________ to
seize the weapons stored there.
 Having _____________________________ the Continental Army, Congress was unable
to stop them.
 Massachusetts ended Shays' rebellion by sending ____________________ troops to
Springfield to restore _______________________.
 To many Americans, however, the uprising was a disturbing sign that the ____________
they had fought so hard to create was falling ______________________.
 “No respect is paid to the national authority,” wrote _______________
__________________________ to a friend. “It is not possible that a government can
last long under these circumstances.”
 Shays’ rebellion __________________________ Congress into calling for a
_____________________________ to consider “the situation of the United States.”
 Each state was invited to send delegates to_________________________________in
________________ 1787, “for the sole and express purpose of revising the Articles of
Confederation.”
 ________________________________ was ready. For the past year, he had devoted
himself to the study of governments, both _______________________ and
___________________________________.
 The lesson of the past was always the same. A ______________________ that was
made up of many groups needed a strong ______________________ government, or it
was soon _______________ apart by quarrels.
 The question was, would ________________________________ heed this lesson?