Articles of Confederation and Constitutional Convention

When was the Constitutional Convention held?

• April, 1775
• May, 1787
• February, 1790
• July, 1776

The Northwest Ordinance was enacted under the Articles of Confederation and

• provided a process for the admission of new states
• abolished slavery 
• concerned all territory west of the Mississippi

The Articles of Confederation were the first Constitution and provided our national government during and after the war.

• True
• False

The Great Compromise

• determined how states would be represented
• allowed slaves to be counted for purposes of taxation and representation
• allowed the national government to levy taxes
• provided the process to elect the President and Vice-President

The New Jersey plan 

• called for a bicameral legislature with representation based on population and was favored by the larger states
• called for a unicameral legislature with equal representation of all states and was favored by the small states

The Virginia plan 

• called for a bicameral legislature with representation based on population and was favored by the larger states
• called for a unicameral legislature with equal representation of all states and was favored by the small states

The 3/5 Compromise 

• provided that 3/5 of all income would be paid in taxes to the federal government
• resolved the issue of how states would be represented in Congress
• resolved the dispute over how slaves would be counted for purposes of representation and taxes
• allowed the federal government to levy taxes

Strengths of the Articles of Confederation included

• A strong executive branch
• The ability to raise revenue through taxes
• creation of a process for admitting new states (Northwest Ord.) and the negotiation of the Treaty of Paris (1783)
• The ability to enforce its laws

The government under the articles lacked an executive and judicial branch

• to consolidate power in one branch
• to ensure that the national government was stronger than state governments
• to more closely resemble the British form of government
• because of the fear that a too-strong central government would result in tyranny

The weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation included

• the inability to raise revenue through taxes and the inability to raise an army
• the inability to admit new states
• a weak judiciary
• lack of checks and balances