Building the Federal Government

Why did the U.S. national government struggle to pass new laws under the Articles of Confederation?

• The articles required almost all states to agree to any new law.

• The articles limited the number of new laws passed per year.

• The articles forced lawmakers to vote multiple times on all new laws.

• The articles required all new laws to be attached to new taxes.

Answer explanation

The Articles of Confederation went into effect in 1781, and it didn't take long for problems to arise. Since the articles gave the states most of the power, the central government of the United States was weak. This weakness made it hard for the government to manage the country.

Under the Articles of the Confederation there was only one branch of government — the Congress. While the Congress could create new laws, it was up to the states to carry them out. That meant that states could change laws when they wanted to. The Congress had no way of making sure laws were applied equally across the whole country.

In order to pass a law, 9 of the 13 states had to vote to approve it. Sometimes representatives from the same state did not agree, so their state would not vote at all. Even attendance was a problem because many representatives would skip meetings.
These issues made it difficult to get 9 votes on a new law. As a result, few laws were passed.

The Articles of Confederation gave the U.S. national government the power to:

• enforce laws across state borders.

• collect taxes from the states.

• raise an army during wartime.

• establish national courts.

Answer explanation

The Articles of Confederation gave the central government the power to wage war and deal with other foreign issues on behalf of all the states.

Shays's Rebellion demonstrated that the Articles of Confederation:

• made the U.S. government overly focused on building a strong military.

• made it too easy for the U.S. government to tax poor citizens.

• had given the U.S. government too much control over the states.

• prevented the U.S. government from handling crises within the country.

Answer explanation

Under the Articles of Confederation, the U.S. government was weak. It could not pay its bills, keep the peace, regulate the economy, or handle many of the problems that governments are expected to fix. Shays's Rebellion helped convince many people that the government of the United States needed to be improved.

What was one major accomplishment of the U.S. government under the Articles of Confederation?

• Establishing a national banking system

• Permanently banning the sale of enslaved Africans

• Building a powerful national military

• Creating a system for forming new states

Answer explanation

In 1787, the government established the Northwest Ordinance to create a system for forming new states. When the population of a territory reached a certain size, its citizens could write a constitution and apply to become a new state. Under the law, new states could not allow slavery. This agreement helped stop the system of slavery from spreading outside of the South.

The Great Compromise solved a disagreement between large and small states at the Constitutional Convention by:

• giving Congress the right to regulate slavery.

• making Congress more powerful than the federal courts.

• making Congress more powerful than the federal courts.

• creating a bicameral federal legislature.

Answer explanation

The Great Compromise solved the disagreement between large and small states at the Constitutional Convention by establishing a "bicameral federal legislature," meaning a two-house legislative body where one house (House of Representatives) is based on population and the other (Senate) provides equal representation for each state, effectively balancing the power between large and small states.

Civic virtue was an important part of the Constitutional Convention because it:

• stopped slaveholders from defending the institution of slavery.

• prevented major disagreements between delegates.

• encouraged delegates to compromise with one another.

• ensured that the Constitution represented all Americans.

Answer explanation

Civic virtue was important at the Constitutional Convention because the Founding Fathers believed that a well-functioning republic required citizens to prioritize the common good over their own interests, actively participating in government, and demonstrating moral character, which was essential for the new system to work effectively.

Which states at the Constitutional Convention argued in favor of counting enslaved people in order to increase the states' representation in Congress?

• Large States

• Southern States

• Northern States

• Midwest

The U.S. Constitution reflects the influence of the Magna Carta by:

• separating power between branches of government.

• creating a court system with multiple levels.

• placing limits on the government's power.

• listing individual rights that will be protected.

Answer explanation

The U.S. Constitution reflects the influence of the Magna Carta by placing limits on the government's power, evident in the separation of powers and checks and balances among the three branches of government.

Which statement best completes the diagram of the constitutional amendment process?

• The amendment is ruled constitutional by a majority of the Supreme Court.

• The amendment is approved by two-thirds of both the House and the Senate.

• The amendment is approved by a majority of voters in a national election.

• The amendment is sent to the president to be signed or vetoed.

What is this portion of the U.S. Constitution intended to do?

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.¹

• Explain the reasons the Constitution has been created

• Address common objections posed by Anti-Federalists

• List the rights of individual citizens in the United States

• Show how the Constitution is different from the Articles of Confederation