Articles of Confederation

What was a major success of the national government under the Articles of Confederation (1781–1788)?

• developing a plan for the admission of new states

• establishing the first national export tax

• paying off all government debts

• gaining the respect of foreign nations

In the 1780s, the national government under the Articles of Confederation established its authority in the Northwest Territory by

• providing a system for the formation of new states

• settling the border dispute with Mexico

• extending the nation’s border to the Rocky Mountains

• rejecting Native American Indian claims of sovereignty

The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 was important in United States history because it established a method for

• admitting new states to the Union

• promoting diplomatic relations with foreign nations

• funding internal improvements

• securing ports on the Pacific Coast

The primary purpose of the Articles of Confederation was to

• provide tax revenues for the national government

• establish the basic framework of the national government

• give the national government the power to regulate interstate commerce

• establish the supremacy of the national government over the states

One weakness of the Articles of Confederation was the inability of the central government to

• establish a postal system

• collect adequate taxes from the states

• control western lands

• admit new states to the Union

Under the Articles of Confederation, the years between 1781 and 1787 are often referred to as the “critical period” because the

• colonies were forced to pay high reparations to England

• states were fighting the French and Indian War

• southern states threatened to secede from the Union over the issue of slavery

• central government lacked the power to deal with major problems

Critics of the Articles of Confederation argued that it

• imposed unfair taxes on the states

• used a draft to raise a national army

• provided a strong system of federal courts

• placed too much power in the hands of the states

The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 established a model for later settlement by providing for the

• legal expansion of slavery

• creation of national parks

• distribution of free land to war veterans

• process for territories to become states

The primary purpose of the Articles of Confederation was to

• provide revenues for the national government

• establish the basic framework of the national government

• give the national government the power to regulate interstate commerce

• guarantee a bill of rights to protect citizens from the national government

Shays’ Rebellion (1786) became a concern for many national leaders because it:

• indicated there would be future conflicts over the spread of slavery

• exposed fundamental weaknesses in government under the Articles of Confederation

• pointed to the need for federal government regulation of interstate commerce

• showed that frontier settlements were vulnerable to raids by Native American Indians