AP US History
Chapter
9
Name______________________________________
Study
Guide
Period_________
The Confederation & the Constitution
1776-1790
Terms and Names: Define each term with complete sentences, using your own words
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom
Civic virtue
Republican motherhood
Land Ordinance of 1785
Northwest Ordinance of 1787
Shays’ Rebellion
G.
H.
I.
J.
K.
L.
Virginia Plan (large states)
New Jersey Plan (small states)
Great Compromise
Federalists
Antifederalists
The Federalist
Short Answer: Carefully answer each question in paragraph form using information from the text.
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2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
Describe the generally held beliefs in America regarding who should vote and who should hold
political office. Explain the differences in the qualifications for the two.
Understand the Revolution's impact on slavery and the issue of emancipation. Explain the weakening
of the institution in the South and its abolition in the North. Describe the nature of emancipation
policies implemented by northern states after the Revolution.
Describe the status of women in America after the Revolution. Comment on their political, legal,
economic and social status and the extent to which that status was changed by the Revolution.
Describe the characteristics of the state constitutions that emerged after 1776. Explain what features
distinguished them from the British constitutional tradition that preceded them. Comment on the
relative empowerment of the executive and legislative branches of state governments and how the
nature of the empowerment was a reflection of the Revolutionary era during which these documents
were written.
Describe the economic situation after the Revolutionary War.
Explain how the post-war economic depression led to divisions between individual states as well as to
conflicts between debtors and creditors over state financial policies. Understand how these tensions
contributed to increased interest among some Americans in increasing the power of the federal
government.
Describe the provisions of the Articles of Confederation. Explain the meaning of the term
confederation and comment on why Americans chose this form of government during the Revolution.
Identify the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation as a tool of government and connect the
weaknesses of the document to its eventual failure.
List the unresolved issues that prolonged tensions between the United States and Britain after the
Revolution.
Discuss the issues surrounding American access to the Mississippi River. Explain how the issues
created tension between the United States and Spain.
Explain the historical significance of the Annapolis Convention as a prelude to the Constitutional
Convention.
Comment on the socio-economic backgrounds of the framers of the United States Constitution.
Recognize a connection between this status and the eventual content of the document.
Describe the constitutional provisions for a national executive.
Discuss the impact of sectionalism and slavery on the proceedings of the Constitutional Convention.
Point out the clauses in the Constitution that reflect the sectional debate between the North and the
South. Explain the extent to which the convention made concessions to the South regarding slavery
and why those concessions were made.
What are the two principles of republicanism?
Compare and contrast the fundamental provisions of the Articles of Confederation and the United
States Constitution.
Who generally and specifically was a Federalist? An Antifederalist? What were their chief arguments?
Why were the Federalists successful? Explain why the Antifederalists failed in their efforts to prevent
ratification.