Introduction to Unit 4

What was the name of the United States first national government?

• Articles of Confederation

• U.S. Constitution

• Virginia House of Burgesses

• Mayflower Compact

Categorize the characteristics (parts) of the Articles of Confederation as strengths (+ )and weaknesses (-). There are three characteristics for each category.

Groups:

(a) Strengths +

,

(b) Weaknesses -

• Could maintain an army, fight a war and sign treaties

• No national power to tax

• United the 13 individual states

• Had a Congress

• No court system

• Lacked an executive branch (no leader or president)

What replaced the Articles of Confederation as the supreme law of the United States?

• U.S. Constitution

• Mayflower Compact

• Fundamental Orders of Connecticut

• Declaration of Independence

Match the definition to the appropriate term. These are concepts that were introduced in the last video, but you may use an online dictionary to help if needed.

• Separation of Powers

• Government that unites individual states under one government

• Republic

• People (public) use their power to elect REPesentatives

• Federal

• Individual political divisions of people within its own territory

• National/ Central

• Dividing powers of government into branches with different responsibilities

• State

• Government/ political authority of a country

The Declaration of Independence was approved in​ (a)   , while the Articles of Confederation were approved in ​ (b)   .

• 1776
• 1781

All​ (a)   states had to approve, or ​ (b)   the Articles of Confederation before it became the official government of the United States.

• 13
• ratify
• 9
• oppose

Determine which powers Congress had under the Articles of Confederation by placing them in the correct category (4 in each category)

Groups:

(a) Powers of Congress

,

(b) Limits/Challenges of Congress

• Equal voting power between states

• All 13 states needed to ratify amendments (changes) to the Articles of Confederation

• Negotiate treaties

• Handle foreign affairs (relationship with other countries)

• Declare War

• National government had no power to tax or raise money, only request from the states

• No power to enforce laws

• 9 of 13 states needed to ratify new laws

Shays Rebellion escalated in ​ (a)   and was led by Daniel Shays and other ​ (b)   in ​ (c)   . It showed the overwhelming ​ (d)   of the Articles of Confederation and led to the creation of the new U.S. Constitution

• 1787
• farmers
• Massachusetts
• weaknesses
• merchants
• 1781
• strengths
• Virginia