Lesson 9
A Precarious Experiment
ernmental institutions that would guarantee their
hard-won liberties.
Americans built their first governments not at
the national level, but at the state level. Nearly all
Americans agreed that the new nation should function under a republican form of government in
which political power rested with the citizenry. The
powers of the states must be outlined in written
constitutions to protect American citizens from the
whims of the legislature. In this way, they would
avoid the corruption and tyranny that had plagued
them under the unwritten British constitution.
Throughout the 1780s states revised their constitutions to provide for the strong institutions required
to ensure a stable government and to protect freedom. Those freedoms, however, varied from state
to state. While religious freedom grew in all states,
the concept of equality espoused in the Declaration
of Independence did not extend to slaves living in
the South.
Fearing the tyranny that a strong central government could bring, many Americans believed the
states should hold almost sovereign power with the
national government maintaining a subordinate
role. The Articles of Confederation adopted in
1777 provided for a national congress comprised of
representatives from each state, but real power
remained with state governments. Congress could
borrow and issue money, declare war, and conduct
diplomatic relations with other countries, but it
had no power to impose taxes, regulate trade, or
even draft troops. When the national government
needed to raise money, Congress made requisitions
to the states, but state legislatures often refused to
Assignment
This lesson is based on information in the following text selections and video. Read the text carefully, watch the video, and study all the material.
Text: The chapter number and section titles of
reading assignments are the same in both books:
A. Brinkley, American History: A Survey, Volume 1, 12th edition
A. Brinkley, The Unfinished Nation, Volume 1,
5th edition
The following sections from Chapter 5 of the text
are covered in this lesson: “The Creation of State
Governments,” “The Search for a National Government.”
Video: Episode 9, “A Precarious Experiment”
Overview
Americans gained their independence following
the defeat of Cornwallis at Yorktown, but the
future of the nation remained far from certain.
Leaders worried about keeping the former colonies
working together even as they dealt with internal
divisions, diplomatic crises, and an economic
depression, and all of this while shaping the gov-
41
42
T HE UNFINISHED N ATION ( TO 1877)
cooperate. Even in foreign relations, Congress
found it difficult to negotiate or enforce treaties
since other nations showed little respect for the
weak central government of the United States. The
Articles, which had served effectively in wartime,
proved too weak to be effectively in times of peace.
The Confederation government did, however,
prove successful when it settled much of the controversy surrounding the issue of western lands.
Through the Ordinances of 1784 and 1785, Congress divided the Ohio Valley into political districts,
provided the mechanism for future statehood, and
established a system to survey lands for future sale.
The Northwest Ordinance passed in 1787 refined
some of the provisions of the earlier ordinances,
guaranteed the right to trial by jury and freedom of
religion to residents of the Northwest, and banned
slavery in the area.
Despite its successes in dealing with western
lands, problems continued to plague the weak
Confederation government. By 1787, the debt
incurred on war bonds sold by the United States
during the Revolutionary War was beginning to
come due. Added to the money owed to soldiers
and foreign nations, the national debt was huge.
Since the central government had no power to raise
taxes, the possibility that the nation would have no
choice but to default on its loans was very real. The
states also faced enormous debts, but with an economic depression crippling the economy, citizens
objected to new taxes. Farmers throughout New
England revolted, seeking relief from their own
debts. In response to these crises, leaders emerged
to steer the nation toward a stronger central government and the movement to adopt a new
national constitution gained momentum.
Focus Points
Learning Objectives
After reading the assigned pages in the text and
watching the video, you should be able to:
✓ Discuss the process through which the states
adopted written constitutions, the institutions
they created in order to ensure a republican form
of government, and how some dealt with the
issues of slavery and religious toleration.
✓ Explain the challenges faced by the Confederation government after the Revolution, including
economic and political troubles at home and
diplomatic difficulties with foreign nations.
✓ Describe the successes of the Confederation government in dealing with the issue of western
lands, the provisions of the Ordinances of 1784
and 1785, and the Northwest Ordinance.
✓ Analyze the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and the issues that led some leaders to
believe the Articles needed either revision or
replacement if the new American nation was to
survive and prosper.
Key Terms and Concepts
After reading the assigned pages in your text and
watching the video, you should be able to identify
and explain the significance of the following:
Annapolis Convention
Articles of Confederation
civic virtue
Constitutional Convention
Continental impost
John Dickinson
Battle of Fallen Timbers
grid system
Little Turtle
manumission
Robert Morris
Natural rights
Northwest Ordinance
Ordinances of 1784 and 1785
Republican government
Job Shattuck
Shays’ Rebellion
Statute of Religious Liberty
Treaty of Greenville
General Anthony Wayne
western lands
Text Focus Points
These text focus points are the main ideas presented in this section of the textbook. Read these
points carefully before reading the text. You may
want to take notes for future reference and study.
✓ To secure freedom Americans not only had to
defeat the British on the battlefield, they also had
to create institutions of government to replace
L ESSON 9: A P RECARIOUS E XPERIMENT
the British system. Even as war raged across the
countryside, states grappled with the structure of
their new governments and debated the appropriate roles of slavery and religion in a republican
society.
✓ After the Revolution, the American government
operated under the Articles of Confederation,
which provided for strong sovereign states and a
weak central government. Soon many people
began to realize that such an arrangement
threatened the stability of the new nation, and
left the Confederation vulnerable to threats both
from without and within. Revision was necessary
if the Confederation was to survive.
✓ One of the great successes of the Confederation
was settling much of the debate over western
lands. Through the Ordinances of 1784 and
1785, and the Northwest Ordinance, Congress
provided the mechanism through which new
states might enter the union and established the
grid system, which left an enduring mark on the
American landscape.
Video Focus Points
These video focus points are designed to help you
understand and get the most out of the video for
this section. Read these points carefully before
watching the video. You may want to take notes
for future reference and study.
✓ After the defeat of Cornwallis at Yorktown,
Americans negotiated peace, gaining numerous
concessions from the British. Even with the war
over, however, Americans still worried whether
their country could survive internal strife and
threats from abroad.
✓ Peace brought numerous difficulties into focus.
Loyalists faced exile and confiscation of their
property. Some Americans viewed the Indian
tribes who had sided with the British as a conquered people who had lost all claim to their
lands. Many slaves who had heard about freedom and equality learned that the philosophy
contained in the Declaration of Independence
applied only to whites.
✓ Even before the Revolution ended, Americans
sought to create new institutions of government.
They created them not at the national level, but
at the state level, and they wrote constitutions
43
that established republican governments and
protected citizens from tyranny.
✓ American government under the Articles of
Confederation faced numerous challenges – not
only from foreign governments that sought to
exploit the weaknesses of the newly independent
nation, but also from internal conflict. Britain
refused to honor its treaty obligations. Secessionist movements rose in the Southwest. Furthermore, Congress had no power to levy taxes,
much less deal with the economic difficulties facing the country.
✓ The Confederation did succeed in settling much
of the controversy over western lands. Congress
devised methods for surveying, dividing, and
selling land in the Ohio Valley, and provided for
the establishment of new states. The path to settlement in the Northwest, however, proved difficult. The Ohio Valley remained a fierce battleground well into the 1790s as Americans and
Indian tribes struggled for control of the area.
✓ National debt, threats from abroad, and internal
dissent finally led some Americans to conclude
that a stronger national government was necessary if the nation was to survive. Delegates from
several states proposed a general convention that
would meet in Philadelphia to adopt changes to
the Articles designed to strengthen the central
government. In May 1787 delegates arrived in
Philadelphia for the Constitutional Convention
and began to shape the future of post-Revolution America.
Critical Analysis
These activities are designed to help you examine
the material in this lesson in greater depth. It may
be necessary for you to conduct some additional
research (the Internet is an excellent resource).
Armed with what you have learned in this lesson
and your own research, carefully respond to each
of the following activities.
1. Based on what you have learned about colonial attitudes toward slavery and slaves during
the Revolution, discuss the concepts of liberty
and equality from the perspective of a slave living in the South during that time. How would
the slave believe these concepts applied to him
or her? What would a slave’s hopes be for the
44
T HE UNFINISHED N ATION ( TO 1877)
future? How would those hopes change when
the slave finds out that talk of freedom does
not apply to him or her? How would the slave
fight for freedom?
2. Detail the provisions of the Northwest Ordinance and explain the significance of each of
these provisions to the growing young American nation.
3. Robert Morris realized that his new nation
could never be safe from internal or external
threats while it governed under the Articles of
Confederation. Make the case for a strong
central government to someone who fears the
tyranny it might bring. Be sure to include both
foreign and domestic issues.
Practice Quiz
_____ 7. The Articles of Confederation provided
for a strong foreign policy and a system
of taxation.
_____ 8. The Ordinance of 1784 led to further
white migration into the Ohio Valley.
_____ 9. Amendments to the Articles of
Confederation required the unanimous
approval of all thirteen state legislatures.
Fill in the Blank – Complete the following sentences with the missing word, concept, or person.
10. _______ and Rhnode Island just deleted any
reference to the King and England from their
original pre-Revolutionary charters rather than
creating completely new constitutions.
11. New York and Virginia had to give up their
claims to _______ before the Articles of Confederation were finally approved.
This quiz is designed to give you an idea of how
well you understand the material. Choose the correct answers for each question and review any
question that you missed.
12. In 1786 Virginia enacted the _______, which
mandated the separation of church and state.
Matching – Match options a through d with items
1 through 4 below.
14. Soon after the Revolution, the United States
faced a major crisis when Spain closed the port
of _______.
13. Americans fought major battles with the Indians in the Ohio Valley until the defeat of the
Miami Confederacy at the Battle of _______.
_____ 1. Daniel Shays
_____ 2. Articles of Confederation
_____ 3. Ordinance of 1785
_____ 4. Robert Morris
a. Proposed a “continental impost”
b. Established the grid system
c. Led a rebellion in New England
d. Basis of the post-Revolution government
True/False – Determine whether each of the following statements is true or false:
_____ 5. Americans showed little animosity
towards loyalists and Indians after the
Revolution.
_____ 6. Most states preferred to avoid written
constitutions.
Multiple Choice – Select the correct answer.
15. Under the Articles of Confederation, _______
was the only institution with national authority.
a. Congress
b. the Executive Branch
c. the Supreme Court
d. the Continental Army
16. Which of the following did NOT prod the
North toward gradual emancipation?
a. Opposition from slaves
b. Revolutionary ideology
c. Pressure from southerners seeking to buy
slaves
d. Criticism of white Americans by educated
blacks
L ESSON 9: A P RECARIOUS E XPERIMENT
Essay – These questions are designed to help you
think about all you have learned. Consider them
carefully and then write your responses.
17. Discuss the ways in which Americans
attempted to establish republican governments
through state constitutions. Why did many
feel that written constitutions were necessary
at all? How did states divide power between
legislatures and the executive? How did they
confront the issues of slavery and religion?
18. The Articles of Confederation proved adequate during the Revolutionary War, but
45
nearly unworkable in peacetime. What powers
did the states hold under the Articles, and
what authority did the central government
possess? How did the Articles interfere with
American foreign policy? What issues led many
to conclude the Articles were outdated and in
need of revision?
19. How did the Confederation government deal
with the volatile issue of western lands? Discuss the major land ordinances enacted during
the Confederation years, including the provisions of each. What are some of the enduring
legacies of these ordinances?
Answer Key
for the Practice Test
Lesson 1 From Days Before Time
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
c used numerical system and calendar
e used human sacrifice in religion
a Chickasaws, Choctaws, Creeks, Seminoles
b Bubonic Plague
d Prince Henry
False Text and Video
True Text and Video
True Text
True Text
Pueblo Revolt; Text and Video
Pigs, new livestock, or horse; Text and Video
Mestizo; Text
Matrilineal; Text
Francisco Coronado; Text
e Text and Video
e Text and Video
Lesson 2 – Turbulent Virginia:
Pirate Base ... Royal Colony
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
d Sir George Grenville
c Predestination
a Ireland
b fur trade
e New Amsterdam
False Text and Video
True Text and Video
False Text and Video
True Text and Video
“Starving Time”; Text
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
Lord De La Warr; Text
John Rolfe; Text
Headright system; Text and Video
George Calvert; Text
b Text
a Text
Lesson 3 – Saints and Strangers
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
e Sir William Berkeley
c Pilgrims
a Massachusetts Bay Company
b Rhode Island
d King Philip’s War
True Text
False Text
True Text
True Text
Puritans; Text and Video
Massachusetts Bay Company; Video
Town Meeting; Video
Anne Hutchinson; Text and Video
a Text and Video
a Text
Lesson 4 – The Lure of Land
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
147
c
a
d
e
b
Maryland
Cromwell
Diversity
Quakers
Pennsylvania
148
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
T HE UNFINISHED N ATION ( TO 1877)
True Video
True Text
False Text
True Video and Text
Oliver Cromwell; Video
Charles II; Video
New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania,
Carolina; Video
Women; Video
Puritans; Video
a Video
c Video and Text
Lesson 5 – Coming to America:
A Portrait of Colonial Life
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
d Slave ship
c Galen
a Colonial doctors
b German Palatinates
False Video
True Video
True Video
True Video
Edwin Morgan; Video
Africans; Video
Benjamin Franklin; Video
Scotch-Irish; Text
Slave Codes; Text
d Video
a Video
Lesson 6 – Divergent Paths
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
c Charles Town
d Salem Witch
a Town Meeting
b Colonial Court
e Great Awakening
True Video
True Video
False Video
True Video
George Whitefield; Video and Text
Peter Hasenclever; Text
Axe; Text
Stono Rebellion; Text
Dame Schools; Text
15. a Text
16. b Text
Lesson 7 – Strained Relations
1. c Immigrants of French descent
2. d Confederation of five Indian tribes
3. b Commander of the British garrison in
Boston
4. a Called for action against the Stamp Act
5. True Video
6. False Video
7. False Video
8. True Video
9. False Video
10. Paxton Boys; Text
11. Spain; Video
12. molasses; Video
13. East India Company; Text
14. Massachusetts Government; Video
15. d Video
16. b Video
Lesson 8 – Not Much of a War
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
d “Common Sense”
a Tories
b Declaration of Independence
c Home rule
e Green Mountain Boys
True Video
True Video
True Video
False Video
Sally Bache; Video
The Battle of Saratoga; Text
France; Text
Benedict Arnold; Text
Count Jean Baptiste de Rochambeau; Text
c Text
c Text
Lesson 9 – A Precarious
Experiment
1. c
Led a rebellion in New England
A NSWER K EY FOR THE P RACTICE T EST
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
d Basis of the post-Revolution government
b Established the grid system
a Proposed a “continental impost”
False Video
False Text
False Vdeo
True Video
True Video
Connecticut; Text
western lands; text
Statute of Religious Liberty; Text
Fallen Timbers; Video
New Orleans; Video
a Text
c Video
Lesson 10 – Vision for a Nation
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
d Virginia plan
a New Jersey plan
b Slavery
c All power rests in the people
True Video
True Text and Video
False Video
True Video
James Wilson; Video
states; Text and Video
Anti-Federalists, Federalists; Text and Video
Hamilton, Madison, Jay; Text and Video
Rhode Island; Video
d Text
c Text
Lesson 11 – Rivals and Friends
1. c
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
Federalist appointed Chief Justice by John
Adams at the end of his presidency
d Vice presidential candidate in 1800
b United States minister to France
a Chief justice of the Supreme Court
True Text
False Video
True Video
False Video
False Video
Pinckney’s; Text
Alexander Hamilton; Text
Quasi War; Video
13.
14.
15.
16.
149
Alien and Sedition; Video
Tammany Society; Text
c Video
a Video
Lesson 12 – Best Laid Plans...
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
c Louisiana Territory
d Berlin and Milan decrees
b Prophet
a Second Great Awakening
False Video
True Video
False Video
False Video
Spain; Video
$15 million; Video and Text
Sacagawea; Video and Text
Dolly Madison; Video
Andrew Jackson; Video and Text
c Text
d Text
Lesson 13 –Pressures from Within
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
d Proponent of the American System
c Commander in the Seminole War
a Monroe’s secretary of state
b Proposed an anti-slavery amendment
False Text
True Video
True Video
False Video
Black Belt; Text
John Jacob Astor; Video
Great American Desert; Text
Virginia Dynasty; Video
Panic of 1819; Video
a Text
c Video
Lesson 14: He Brought the People
With Him
1. c
2. a
Adams’ Vice President
Speaker of the House
150
T HE UNFINISHED N ATION ( TO 1877)
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
b Charles Dickinson
d Jackson’s inauguration
True Video
True Video
True Video
False Video and Text
Martin Van Buren; Text
Margaret Timberlake; Video
Robert Hayne; Text
Dorr Rebellion; Text
“Our Union, next to our liberty, most dear”
“Our Federal Union, It must be
preserved”; Text
14. b Text
15. d Text and Video
Lesson 15 – Legacy of an
Autocratic Ruler
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
c
d
a
b
President of the Bank of the United States
Chief justice of the Supreme Court
Radical Democrats from the Northeast
Sought to capitalize on Anti-Mason
sentiment
True Video
False Video
False Text
True Text
Removal Act; Video
Trail of Tears; Video
Henry Clay; Video
King Andrew I; Video
Panic of 1837; Text
a Text
d Video
Lesson 16: A Revolution of a
Different Sort
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
c Population growth
d Canals
a Erie Canal
b Penny Press
False Text and Video
False Text and Video
False Text and Video
False Text and Video
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
Railroads; Video
Factory; Video
Cincinnati, St. Louis, Chicago; Video
Moses Brown; Video
small workshops; Video
a Text
a Text
Lesson 17: Worlds Apart
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
b Godey’s Lady’s Book
c the American Museum
d steel plows
a Mount Holyoke College
False Video
True Text
False Video
True Video
True Text
Irish, free blacks; Text
Catherine Beecher; Video
Oberlin; Text
minstrel show; Text
a Video
c Video
Lesson 18: Master and Slave
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
d Mrs. Benjamin Perry
c legalized slavery
a Maryland, Delaware, Virginia
b slave rebellion
True Video
False Video
False Video
True Text
Slave women; Video
Slave auction; Video
Christianity; Video
Factor; True
Northern states; Video
d Text
a Text
Lesson 19: Voices of Reform
1. d published the Liberator
A NSWER K EY FOR THE P RACTICE T EST
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
c escaped from slavery
b black anti-slavery activist and feminist
a prison reformer
True Text
False Video
True Text
True Video
Hudson River School; Video
Brook Farm; Text
Joseph Smith; Text
temperance; Video
phrenology; Text
a Text
c Video
Lesson 20: Manifest Destiny?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
c To govern is to populate
b First legal settlement in Texas
a Alamo
d Spot Resolution
False Video
True Video
True Video
False Video
Californios; Video
slavery; Text and Video
Zachary Taylor; Text, Video
Popular Sovereignty; Text
Gold, John Sutter’s; Text and Video
c Text
b Text
Lesson 21: Decade of Discord
1. a
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
divided Clay’s compromise bill into
individual parts
d supported the “Young America”
movement
a assaulted a Massachusetts senator
b defeated Fillmore and Frémont in 1856
False; Video
True; Video
True; Text
False; Text
False; Video
benevolent diffusion; Video
Personal liberty laws; Text
Ostend Manifesto; Text
151
13. Gadsden Purchase; Video
14. c Text
15. a Video
Lesson 22: House Divided
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
d Abraham Lincoln
c CSA
a Fort Sumter
b Anaconda Plan
True; Video
True; Video and Text
False; Video
False; Video
Benjamin Butler; Video
G. McClellan; Video and Text
R.E. Lee; Video and Text
Line item; Video
90,000–100,000 men; Video
c Video and Text
c Video and Text
Lesson 23: Battle Cry
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
d Last Confederate general to surrender
e Often reluctant to commit troops to battle
b United States secretary of state
a Killed at Shiloh
c American minister to London
False Video
True Text
False Video
False Video
True Video
Monitor, Merrimac; Text
Peninsular Campaign; Text
Antietam; Video
Fredericksburg; Video
b Text
c Video
Lesson 24: Final Stages
1.
2.
3.
4.
d
a
c
b
Vicksburg
Replaced Joseph Hooker
Gettysburg
Chickamauga
152
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
T HE UNFINISHED N ATION ( TO 1877)
False Video and Text
True Video
False Video
False Text
“Grease”; Video
Jeb Stuart; Video and Text
P.G.T. Beauregard; Video
Cold Harbor syndrome; Video
G. McClellan; Video and Text
c Text
b Video
Lesson 25: What Price Freedom
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
d scandal during the Grant administration
c refers to the purchase of Alaska
e required an Ironclad Oath
b response to the Black Codes
a opposed the gold standard
True Text
False Video
True Text
True Text
reuniting the country, emancipation and
freedom; Video
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
Freedmen’s Bureau; Video
Fifteenth; Video
sharecropping; Text
Grantism; Text
a Video
d Text
Lesson 26: Tattered Remains
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
d Republican Party
c Perpetual debt
a Atlanta compromise
b Enforcement Acts
True Video
True Video
True Video
True Video
Landowners or merchants; Video and Text
leave in the middle of the night; Video
black women; Video
KKK; Video and Text
Samuel Tilden; Text
c Text
b Video