Test your knowledge: Facts about the Articles of Confederation

📜 Quick Study Guide

• 🗓️ Adopted by the Continental Congress: November 15, 1777.
• 🤝 Ratified by all states: March 1, 1781.
• 🏛️ Type of Government: Confederation (a loose alliance of independent states).
• 🔑 Key Powers of the National Government (under the Articles):
  • 🤝 Declaring war and making treaties.
  • 💰 Coining money.
  • ✉️ Establishing a postal service.
• ⚠️ Weaknesses:
  • 💸 No power to tax (relied on states for funding).
  • ⚖️ No national court system.
  • 🛡️ No executive branch to enforce laws.
  • ⚙️ Required unanimous consent to amend the Articles.
  • 🗽 States retained considerable sovereignty.
• 💥 Significant Achievements:
  • 🤝 Successfully guided the U.S. through the Revolutionary War.
  • 📜 Established principles of states' rights and limited government.
  • 🗺️ Enacted the Land Ordinance of 1785 and Northwest Ordinance of 1787 (establishing procedures for western expansion and statehood).
• ➡️ Replaced by: United States Constitution in 1789.

🤔 Practice Quiz

1. Which of the following was a weakness of the Articles of Confederation?
   1. A. The national government had too much power over the states.
   2. B. There was no national currency.
   3. C. The national government could not directly tax the states.
   4. D. The Articles established a strong executive branch.
2. What was a primary reason the Articles of Confederation were eventually replaced?
   1. A. They gave too much power to the executive branch.
   2. B. They created a powerful national court system.
   3. C. They did not provide a strong enough central government.
   4. D. They were too easily amended.
3. Under the Articles of Confederation, which power was granted to the national government?
   1. A. The power to regulate interstate commerce.
   2. B. The power to enforce laws directly on citizens.
   3. C. The power to declare war.
   4. D. The power to levy taxes directly.
4. What was the significance of the Northwest Ordinance, passed under the Articles of Confederation?
   1. A. It established a national bank.
   2. B. It outlined the process for admitting new states into the Union.
   3. C. It abolished slavery in all states.
   4. D. It created a strong national army.
5. What was required to amend the Articles of Confederation?
   1. A. A simple majority of states.
   2. B. A two-thirds majority of states.
   3. C. Unanimous consent of all states.
   4. D. Approval by the President.
6. Which of the following best describes the structure of the government under the Articles of Confederation?
   1. A. A strong central government with three branches.
   2. B. A loose alliance of independent states.
   3. C. A monarchy with limited powers.
   4. D. A unitary system with all power concentrated in the national government.
7. Which event highlighted the weakness of the Articles of Confederation and the need for a stronger national government?
   1. A. The Boston Tea Party
   2. B. Shay's Rebellion
   3. C. The Whiskey Rebellion
   4. D. The War of 1812