Critical Period Make Up Quiz!

Directions: Read the passage below. Use the information in the passage and the information discussed in class to answer the essay question.

A Nation in Turmoil!

The 13 American colonies had declared themselves independent from Great Britain in 1776. During the Revolution they also created a new national government under the Articles of Confederation. Later, the Americans signed the Treaty of Paris with Great Britain in 1783 which ended the war. Now that America was its own nation, its government, the Confederation Congress, inherited the good and the bad of an independent nation.

The Revolutionary War had left many of the colonies very much in debt. Money had been borrowed to pay for troops and weapons. When states tried to pay back these debts, they used Continentals (paper money printed by the Confederation Congress during the Revolutionary War), but not too many people wanted these Continentals anymore. People trusted gold and silver because they had value in other countries. Also, since each state was printing its own money, disputes arose over whether Pennsylvania bills were equal to North Carolina bills.

The Confederation Congress, as restricted by the Articles of Confederation, could not raise taxes and could not use a court system to force states to trade with each other. Each state claimed lands to the west and there was no institution to settle their disputes. Foreign powers also took advantages of the United States during the Critical Period. France refused to trade with the USA until we paid back our war debt. Spain decided to close the port of New Orleans greatly harming American Trade. Pirates from North Africa attacked many of our ships at sea. The English also refused to leave American soil and maintained forts in the west. Without a national army to confront these threats, America was powerless. The Articles of Confederation could not be changed unless all thirteen states agreed to an amendment. In very real terms, the nation's first national government was not enough of a government for the current world situation.

A more frightening reminder of how powerless the national government was Shays's Rebellion, in which farmers refused to pay taxes and took up arms to protect their right not to pay those taxes. The national government called out the federal militia and stopped the rebellion, but the entire episode made very clear the fact that a stronger national government was needed.

Directions: Based on the passage above and the material discussed in class, choose one of the essay questions below. Be sure to use examples from the passage above and from classroom discussions. Your essay should contain a topic sentence, at least three supporting details, and a conclusion. Place your essay on a clean sheet of notebook paper.

Essay Question:

1. (More difficult Question – You may earn up to 16 points.)
If you were in charge during the Critical Period, what changes could be made to the Articles of Confederation in order to help the nation? Explain using examples.

2. (Less difficult Question – You may earn up to 12 of 16 points here.)
What were the major problems during the Critical Period with the Articles of Confederation?