A Crossroads Resource

Unit IV: What was the American Revolution? 1760-1836

Question/Problem 3: How did the Revolutionaries design the first American system of government.

Articles of Confederation Worksheet

Remember that the term "articles" means parts or provisions of a document. Answer the following questions using the excerpts of the Articles of Confederation or by using a copy of the full document. The answer can be found in the article listed for each question.

1. Article V

a. How many delegates to Congress could each state have?
b. How many votes did each state have?

2. Article VIII

a. Where would Congress get money to run the country?
b. How would this be enforced?

3. Article IX

a. What were the powers of Congress that were limited in this excerpt of Article IX?
b. What was necessary for Congress to pass legislation?

Use your textbook or other resources including the Articles of Confederation to answer the following questions.

4. Discuss three lasting achievements of the federal government under the Articles.

5. Throughout history, territory was usually added to a nation by conquest and treated as conquered land. Explain how the provisions of both the Land Ordinance of 1785 and the Land Ordinance of 1787 (Northwest Ordinance) together provided the means for territory to be added as equal states to the new nation. Refer to a map showing the Northwest Territory to get a visual image for preparing your answer.

6. Make a list of at least four problems the national government experienced under the Articles. For each tell why the national government had difficulty in conducting business.

7. Using the information gathered through class discussion and research on state constitutions and the Articles of Confederation, evaluate the successes and failures of the system of government under the Articles of Confederation.

Back To Question #3