Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation AKS33E

Which document served as the first constitution of the United States?

• The Bill of Rights

• The Articles of Confederation

• The Federalist Papers

• The Declaration of Independence

Under the Articles of Confederation, who had the most power?

• The President

• The Supreme Court

• The State Governments

• The Federal Government

What was one major weakness of the Articles of Confederation regarding taxation?

• Congress could collect taxes directly from citizens

• Congress could only request money from the states

• States were not allowed to collect taxes

• The President set all tax rates

Which of the following was a problem with interstate trade under the Articles of Confederation?

• States could set their own trade rules and tariffs

• Congress controlled all trade between states

• There were no trade disputes between states

• The President regulated interstate commerce

Why was the lack of a central authority under the Articles of Confederation a problem for the new nation?

• It made it difficult to pass laws

• It prevented the creation of a national army

• It led to confusion and lack of unity among the states

• It allowed the President too much power

How did the inability to tax under the Articles of Confederation affect the federal government?

• The government could easily pay off war debts

• The government struggled to raise money for national needs

• The government collected too much money from citizens

• The government was able to fund a strong military

What was a consequence of the Articles of Confederation not allowing a national army?

• The states were able to defend themselves easily

• The country was vulnerable to foreign attacks and internal rebellions

• The President led a strong military force

• The Supreme Court handled military decisions

Which of the following best explains why the Articles of Confederation were replaced by the U.S. Constitution?

• The Articles gave too much power to the President

• The Articles created a weak central government that could not solve national problems

• The Articles allowed Congress to control all state governments

• The Articles banned all forms of taxation

Suppose you are a merchant in one state trying to trade with another state under the Articles of Confederation. What problem might you face, and how could a stronger federal government solve it?

• You might face different tariffs and trade rules in each state; a stronger federal government could create uniform trade regulations.

• You would have no problems trading; the Articles made trade easy.

• You would only need to pay taxes to the federal government; states could not tax you.

• You could use a national currency for all transactions.

Analyze how the lack of power to tax under the Articles of Confederation could have led to problems in national defense, and suggest an alternative solution that the new Constitution provided.

• Without tax power, the government could not fund an army; the Constitution allowed Congress to collect taxes to support national defense.

• Without tax power, the government had too much money for defense; the Constitution stopped all military spending.

• Without tax power, the government could borrow unlimited money; the Constitution banned borrowing.

• Without tax power, the government could still fund defense through state donations; the Constitution removed the military.