Elementary/Middle Division
Theme - Round 1
America’s Fight for Independence
From Confederation to Republic 1777-1791
Round One - From a Shaky Start to…….
2013-2014 Local Tournament Questions
TWO POINT QUESTIONS
1. The Articles of Confederation was an
agreement among the 13 original states. It
established the United States of America as a
confederation of sovereign states and acted
as its first constitution. The first draft of the
Articles of Confederation was based on
Benjamin Franklin’s ideas, but actually
penned by:
A. Abraham Baldwin
B. George Washington
C. Alexander Hamilton
D. John Dickinson
2. In what year was the Northwest
Ordinance passed?
A. 1781
B. 1787
C. 1789
D. 1791
3. The Northwest Ordinance passed by the
Confederation Congress in 1787 created
the Northwest Territory out of the region
now known as which states?
A. Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon,
South Dakota and Washington
B. Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio,
Minnesota and Wisconsin
C. Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee
and West Virginia
D. Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana,
North Carolina and South Carolina
4. Which was the first state to ratify
the Articles of Confederation?
A. Virginia
B. Maryland
C. Tennessee
D. Delaware
5. The Articles of Confederation could not
become officially effective until it was
ratified by how many colonies?
A.
7
B.
9
C. 10
D. 13
6. This former American Revolutionary War
veteran was outraged by the denial of paper
money to prevent foreclosure on the lands of
hardworking farmers. He led a rebellion against
the government to prove how serious the
farmers were during this time. Determined not
to stop until he had what he wanted, he planned
an attack on the Springfield Massachusetts
Arsenal. Who was this person?
A. Samuel Adams
B. Daniel Shay
C. George Mason
D. John Hancock
FOUR POINT QUESTIONS
7. The Land Ordinance was made possible
because, in 1780, a number of the original
13 states began to give up their claims to
land between the Mississippi River and the:
A. Appalachian Mountains
B. Allegheny Mountains
C. Smoky Mountains
D. Pocono Mountains
8. The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 created
the Northwest Territory, organized the
structure of its government, and set up
procedures for territories to be admitted to
the Union as states. Because slavery was
forbidden within this territory, which river
became a natural dividing line between the
free and slave states in this country?
A. Allegheny River
B. Ohio River
C. Monongahela River
D. Mississippi River
9. Through what did the Confederation
Congress assure that land would be
set aside in all western townships for
schools?
A. Northwest Ordinance
B. Annapolis Convention
C. Bill of Rights
D. Land Ordinance of 1785
10. According to the Articles of
Confederation, each state interpreted and
enforced its laws as it saw fit. This was a
flawed structure, because it was almost
impossible to resolve disputes or punish
crimes that occurred between different
states. Furthermore, the government had
no power to interfere, because there was
no:
A. Jury System
B. Federal Bureau of Investigation
C. Police Force
D. Federal Court System
11. Under the Confederation Government,
besides having no obligation to obey the
government’s laws, each state had the
power to:
A. Elect its own president
B. Ban interstate travel
C. Issue its own paper money
D. Withdraw from the Confederation
12. The Articles of Confederation had limits
on governmental authority because the states
feared a strong central government. Which
of the following was not a power granted to
the Confederation Congress?
A. The power to declare war
B. The power to tax citizens’ incomes
C. The power to negotiate commercial and
diplomatic agreements with foreign countries
D. The power to resolve boundary disputes
between two states
SIX POINT QUESTIONS
13. Why did the ratification of the Articles of
Confederation process drag on for several years?
A. Some states thought the Articles gave the states
too much power.
B. Some states wanted to put a limit on slavery in the
Northwest Territory.
C. Some states wanted all states to rescind their land
claims in the Ohio River Valley.
D. Some states thought the Articles of Confederation
gave the Federal government too much power.
14. This man was a delegate to the Continental
Congress (1784-87) who helped draft the
Ordinance of 1787 for the settlement of the
Northwest Territory. He was chiefly responsible
for the provision excluding slavery from that
region. Who was this person?
A. Rufus King
B. Roger Sherman
C. Oliver Ellsworth
D. John Paterson
15. This state was the last to ratify the Articles
of Confederation and it only ratified the Articles
after Virginia relinquished its claims on land
north of the Ohio River. Which state held out
the longest before ratifying the Articles of
Confederation?
A. South Carolina
B. Maryland
C. Tennessee
D. Delaware
16. In 1786, twelve delegates from New Jersey,
New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Virginia,
met to call for a constitutional convention.
Formally called the Meeting of Commissioners to
Remedy Defects of the Federal
Government, this gathering is more familiarly
known as the:
A. Philadelphia Convention
B. Constitutional Conference
C. Maryland Meeting
D. Annapolis Convention
17. Under the Articles of Confederation, Congress
did not have the power to generate revenue by
taxing the people of the United States.
Consequently, Congress decided to raise money
by selling land in the mostly unmapped territory,
west of the original states, which was acquired
after the end of the Revolutionary War. The
provisions for this sale were made under the:
A. Freedom Ordinance of 1787
B. Southeastern Ordinance of 1785
C. Territorial Ordinance of 1783
D. Land Ordinance of 1785
18. The Confederation government was
ineffective because of weaknesses in the Articles
of Confederation. Which of the following was
not true of the Confederation government?
A. It lacked a federal court system.
B. There was no separate executive branch.
C. Only 7 states had to agree to pass any laws.
D. Members of the Confederation Congress
could not be compelled to attend congressional
sessions, so they often lacked enough delegates
to work.