Name _______________________________________________ Date ____________ Period ______
Chapter 8- Section 1
KEY 22 points
Vocabulary (11 points)
Shays’s Rebellion - uprising of Massachusetts farmers who demanded debt relief
Northwest Territory- lands northwest of the Appalachians, covered by the Land Ordinance of 1785
Articles of Confederation - plan for national government ratified in 1781
Confederation Congress - national legislative body formed by the Articles of Confederation
Land Ordinance of 1785 - law that established a plan for dividing the federally owned lands west of
the Appalachian Mountains
Northwest Ordinance law that described how the Northwest Territory was to be governed
republic state- country or nation in which people elect representatives to govern
ratification- act of official confirmation
levy -impose or raise a tax
arsenal- place where weapons are stored
neutral- not siding with one country or another
Time Line Discussion- Text- Pages 232-233 (4 points)
1. What created the first national government in the United States? In what year did this happen? (2
pts)
The Continental Congress; 1777 (ratified in 1781)
2. What important event happened in 1788? (1 point)
The U.S. Constitution is ratified.
3. What event on the time line shows how the government was trying to safeguard the rights of
individuals? (1 point)
The ratification of the Bill of Rights (1791)
Reading Comprehension (7 points)
4. Why did America’s leaders want a republic, not a monarchy? (1 pt)
To prevent tyranny in their new government.
5. How did the Articles of Confederation prevent the national government from becoming too
powerful? (1 point)
*It provided for a legislature run by elected officials
* Each state had equal representation in of Confederation Congress - one vote
*It left the most important powers in the hands of the states; including the power to tax and to
enforce national laws
6. Why was the Northwest Ordinance a big success for the Confederation Congress? (1 point)
It held many democratic features and provided for the orderly growth of territories.
7. Why was the Confederation Congress unable to resolve problems with Britain and Spain? (1 point)
*The United States did not have the strength to stand up to the superior forces of the British or
Spanish.
*There was no executive branch to negotiate with the other countries
* They could not resolve trade disputes between the states, which lost them the respect of the more
powerful countries.
8. What basic weakness of the newly formed national government did Shays’s Rebellion expose? (1
point)
No ability to have military protection (no taxes = no money)
no central authority (executive) to enforce laws
9. What do you predict will happen as a result of Shay’s Rebellion and why? (2 points)