Chapter 8: A More Perfect Union

Lesson 1 - The Articles of Confederation (Pages 226 233)

1. Why did most states limit the power of their governors and divide the
legislature into two bodies?
2. Summarize the strengths and weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation.
3. Why did it take several years to ratify the Articles of Confederation?
4. Why did the Articles set up a weak central government, while the states kept
most of their power?
5. What were some of the accomplishments of the national government under
the Articles of Confederation?
6. How did the Land Ordinance of 1785 state that the western lands should be
divided?
7. How did the Northwest Ordinance establish a democratic model for national
expansion? What principles did it guarantee settlers in new territories?
8. Why was debt a critical problem for the national government under the
Articles of Confederation?
9. What did Robert Morris propose to help pay the national debt? Why was his
proposal not successful?
10. How did foreign countries like Great Britain and Spain cause problems for
the new nation?
Lesson 2 - Forging a New Constitution (Pages 234 241)
1. Why did the United States go through a depression after the Revolutionary
War?
2. What weaknesses in the national government did Shays Rebellion reveal?
3. How did the institution of slavery start to divide the nation under the Articles
of Confederation?
4. What were some issues that caused American leaders to recognize the need
for a convention to revise the Articles of Confederation?
5. Why were white males the only type of people represented at the
Constitutional Convention?
6. How did the Virginia Plan and New Jersey Plan differ?

7. How did the Great Compromise resolve the conflicts caused by the Virginia
Plan and the New Jersey Plan?
8. Why did the Constitutional Convention adopt the Three-Fifths Compromise?
9. How did the states compromise over the issue of the slave trade?
10. Why did the original Constitution not include a bill of rights?
Lesson 3 - A New Plan of Government (Pages 244 249)
1. What ideas from the Magna Carta influenced the Framers of the Constitution?
2. What ideas from the English Bill of Rights influenced the Framers of the
Constitution?
3. How did the ideas of John Locke influence the Framers of the Constitution?
4. How did the ideas of Baron de Montesquieu the Framers of the Constitution?
5. How did Federalist and Anti-Federalist beliefs differ in regards to the
strength of the national government?
6. How did the
Federalist Papers
and the
Antifederalist Papers
influence ideas on
systems of U.S. government?
7. What was the Anti-Federalists biggest objection to the Constitution? Why
did they feel this way?
8. Why was it important for large states such as Virginia and New York to
approve the Constitution - even though only nine states needed to approve?