The Articles of Confederation

Test your knowledge of the Articles of Confederation! Analyze its strengths & weaknesses.

Why did the colonists choose a weak government for their first government? Based on the cartoon above, name two problems with the Articles of Confederation. What idea is the cartoonist trying to express in the caption that reads "Rough Sailing Ahead?" According to George Washington, what is needed to prevent another event like Shays Rebellion? fulfilling our foe's (enemy) prediction Verging toward anarchy (no government) Providing for energy (power) in our government Leaving them (the people) to themselves In general, which region(s) of the U.S. had abolished (put an end to) slavery by 1800? New England States Mid-Atlantic States Southern States Sort the states according to Highest and Lowest populations. States with Total Population of > or = to 250,000 (7) Virginia Pennsylvania North Carolina Massachusetts New York Maryland South Carolina States with Total Population of <250,000 (6) Connecticut New Jersey New Hampshire Goergia Rhode Island Delaware Complete the statement below by filling in the blank, Under the Articles of Confederation, each state received one vote in the Confederation Congress. The group above that would find this to be a fair arrangement is the group of states with less than250,000 people. Why might some states be opposed to every state getting an equal vote? Type your answer below. Sort the states according to slave populations. States with slave populations less than 25% of their total population (8) Connecticut Massachussets New Jersey New York Pennsylvania New Hampshire Delaware Rhode Island States with slave populations MORE than 25% of their total population (5) North Carolina South Carolina Georgia Virginia Maryland What state had the highest population of slaves? South Carolina Drag and drop each item as a strength or a weakness of the Articles of Confederation. Strength (4) right to declare war right to borrow money negotiate and sign treaties operate a post office Weakness (7) no power to raise taxes lack of strong leadership in Congress states could raise tariffs no national military no national courts no right to enforce laws on states each state could coin its own money