| A | B |
|---|
| Self-sufficient | Able to provide all necessities of life for oneself. |
| Literate | Able to read and write. |
| Constitution | A written plan of government. |
| Unicameral | One house legislature. |
| Legislature or assembly | A group of law-makers. |
| Republican government | Government with elected or appointed representatives. |
| What was the occupation of most Americans in 1780s? | Farmers. |
| What were voting qualifications in the 1780s? | Only white males who owned property could vote. |
| What was our nation's first constitution named? | The Articles of Confederation. |
| What is the national legislature called under the Articles? | The Confederation Congress. |
| What were two achievements of the Confederation Congress? | It negotiated the Treaty of Paris in 1783 and adopted the Northwest Ordinances of 1787. |
| Where was the Northwest Territory? | Land north of the Ohio River and east of the Mississippi River. |
| What system under the Northwest Ordinances provided clear ownership of land? | The township system. |
| How big is a township? | 36 square miles. |
| What were the 4 main features of the Northwest Ordinances of 1787? | They describe how a territory becomes a state; provide for clear ownership of land through the township system; provide money for public schools; and slavery is forbidden in this area. |
| What was the biggest weakness of the Articles of Confederation? | Congress could not force states to pay the war debt (money). |
| What were problems under the Articles of Confederation? | Congress could not enforce its laws, so it had money problems, economic problems between states, and it could not protect regular citizens. |
| According to the Articles of Confederation, what level of government alone has the power to make agreements with Indian nations? | The national congress. |
| What incident became a scary example of Congress' inability to enforce laws and keep the peace? | Shay's rebellion. |
