American Government

Ch.2 Sec.3 and 4 The Critical Period & Creating the Constitution
Please use your textbook to answer the following questions.

1. What were the Articles of Confederation?

The Articles of Confederation was a document before the American Constitution that made the state's
government stronger than the federal government.
2. What were three powers that the Articles of Confederation gave to the Congress (federal government)?
a. Make war and peace
b. Send and receive ambassadors
c. Make treaties
3. What were three weaknesses of the federal government under the Articles of Confederation?
a. No power to tax
b. Had to borrow money
c. Regulate trade
4. Why is Shays Rebellion important in understanding the weakness of the Articles of Confederation?
Shays Rebellion is important in understanding the weakness of the Articles of Confederation because it shows
that the federal government doesnt have any power to help out the state's government when they need it, so the
federal government has to send out another states army to help out other states.
5. What decision was made at the Annapolis Convention?
The decision that was made was to render the constitution of the Federal Government adequate to the
exigencies of the Union.
6. What was the original, stated purpose of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia?
The original purpose of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia was to discuss possible improvements to the
Articles of Confederation
7. What was the basis for the representation in Congress according to the Virginia Plan?
The basis for the representation for the representation in Congress according to the Virginia Plan was that Congress
would be population-weighted representation.

8. What was the basis for representation in Congress according to the New Jersey Plan?
The basis for the representation for the representation in Congress according to the New Jersey Plan was that
Congress would keep one vote per state.

9. What was the compromise offered by the Connecticut delegation, appropriately named the
Connecticut Compromise?
The Connecticut Compromise was a comprimes that offered the bicameral legislature, along with proportional
representation in the lower houses, but required the upper house to be weighed equally between the states.

10. What was the Three-Fifths Compromise?

The Three-Fifths Compromise was a compromise that said that the population of slaves would be counted as three-
fifths in total when electing Representatives.