Before the Revolutionary War, the Thirteen Colonies formed a group called the Continental Congress to coordinate colonial protests against British policies. But to win the war, the colonies needed an actual government. So, representatives from the Continental Congress wrote the Articles of Confederation to provide a real system of government. The following items show some of the problems the colonies faced during the Revolutionary War.

Match each problem with the solution that the Articles of Confederation provided.

As members of the Continental Congress thought about designing a new system of government, they were influenced by the negative experiences they'd had living under British rule. Read the passage. Then answer the question below.

Britain ruled the Thirteen Colonies from across the Atlantic Ocean. The British Parliament imposed taxes on 

the colonies and restricted their trade. When colonial protests challenged British authority, Parliament 

punished the colonies by imposing what were called the Coercive Acts. 

Here are some of the acts:

The Boston Port Act closed Boston's harbor so trading ships could not enter.

The Massachusetts Government Act forbade town councils unless they had the consent of the royal 

governor.

The Administration of Justice Act allowed British officials accused of crimes in Massachusetts to have 

criminal trials in Britain.

The Quartering Act forced colonial officials to provide food and shelter to the British soldiers who were 

policing them.

Based on these experiences, why might members of the Continental Congress have been afraid of creating a strong national government? Select all that apply.

The Continental Congress wrote the Articles of Confederation to solve problems they faced during the Revolutionary War. This new constitution had 13 articles, or sections, which described how the new system of government would work.

Match each article with the problem it was attempting to solve.

When representatives from the Continental Congress wrote the Articles of Confederation, they chose not to centralize power in a national government.

Read the passage. Then answer the question below.

Great Britain had a unitary system, which meant that the national government, through Parliament, had authority over all local governments. So, the British Parliament could overrule decisions made by legislatures in 

the Thirteen Colonies.

After the Thirteen Colonies adopted the Articles of Confederation, they each became a self-governing state in the new nation, the United States. The word state means a political unit with the authority to govern itself. So, each former colony had its own government with powers to regulate internal issues.

The word confederation means a permanent union of independent states for certain common purposes. The purpose of the Articles of Confederation was to coordinate different states in the war for independence against Great Britain. Outside of this purpose, the national government had very limited power.

How were the Articles of Confederation different from the unitary system under British rule?

Under the present-day U.S. Constitution, there are three branches of national government:

-The legislative branch, called Congress, makes national laws.

-The executive branch, led by the president, enforces national laws.

-The judicial branch, led by the Supreme Court, interprets national laws and the Constitution.

Under the Articles of Confederation, though, the national government was much smaller than it is today.

The following features and effects show the structure of the national government under the Articles.

Match each feature to the effect it had on state governments.

Both the Articles of Confederation and the present-day Constitution include a legislative branch. However, the Congress of the Confederation was very different from the present-day Congress.

Read the passages from the Articles of Confederation. Then follow the instructions below.

Article V

For the more convenient management of the general interests of the United States, delegates shall be 

annually appointed in such manner as the legislature of each state shall direct .... In determining questions in the United States, in Congress assembled, each state shall have one vote.

Article IX

The United States, in Congress assembled, shall never engage in a war . . .  nor enter into any treaties or alliances, nor coin money ...nor borrow money on the credit of the United States, nor appropriate money, nor agree upon the number of vessels of war to be built or purchased, or the number of land or sea forces to be raised . . . unless nine states assent to the same . . . .

Use the information above and the word bank to complete the text. 

Separate your answers by a comma. Example: one, two, three

Under the Articles of Confederation, the states 1__________________ elected delegates to the Confederation Congress. 2 ____________ at the Confederation Congress, in order to pass a national law or make a national decision, 3 _________________ one of the thirteen states had to vote in favor of it.

Word bank: 

Blank #1 State governors, state legislators, state voters

Blank #2 Big states had more votes, each state had one vote

Blank #3 One, seven, nine

The Congress of the Confederation mainly had power over foreign policy. States possessed most powers over internal policies.

Read the passage from the Articles of Confederation. Then answer the question below.

Article IX

The United States, in Congress assembled, shall have the sole and exclusive right and power of determining 

peace and war... of sending and receiving ambassadors [and] entering into treaties and alliances....

The United States, in Congress assembled, shall have authority....to build and equip a navy - to agree upon the number of land forces ....And the officers and men.... shall march to the place appointed, and within the time agreed on by the United States in Congress assembled....

Based on the passage above, what are some of the powers the Congress of the Confederation had?

Select all that apply.

The Articles of Confederation were organized to win the Revolutionary War without creating a national government that was strong enough to override state powers.

Match each feature of the Articles of Confederation to the concern it was meant to address.

The Articles of Confederation were meant to win the war against Britain without creating an overly powerful national government. They unified the states enough to win the war and achieve independence. But after the war, the Articles of Confederation did not give enough power to the national government.

Match each limitation of the national government to the problem it caused.

The weakness of the national government under the Articles of Confederation caused many economic problems.

Read the passage and then answer the question below.

The Confederation was largely a military alliance to guarantee the independence of the thirteen states from Great Britain. One of the main powers the Articles of Confederation gave the national government was the 

authority to command an army and navy for national defense during wartime.

Managing the military meant paying for weapons, supplies, and soldiers. However, the Articles did not give  the national government the right to impose taxes. Only state governments had this authority; the most the  national government could do was request contributions from the states.

Individual states were reluctant to give voluntary contributions to Congress, leaving the national government constantly underfunded. The army and navy could not afford enough weapons or supplies, and soldiers were either underpaid, paid late, or not paid at all. This left the military weak and threatened the ability of the  national government to defend the new nation.

How did the rules about taxation under the Articles of Confederation affect the national government?

Select all that apply.

Another major economic problem under the Articles was that the national government could not set trade policies.

Read the passage. Then follow the instructions below.

The Articles of Confederation gave the national government power over war and peace, but not commerce.  Individual states could negotiate trade treaties, impose taxes on imports, and even prohibit certain types of 

trade altogether.

The problem was that individual states were too small to effectively bargain with foreign nations. Plus, states disagreed about trade so much that they could not present a united front to other countries. In fact, states  were so divided over trade policies that they often taxed goods from other states! So, countries like Britain  were able to tax or ban American goods without fear of consequences, while different states squabbled for  trade advantages over one another.

Leaders in Congress saw that the national government needed power to enforce national trade policies. But  giving Congress this power required a constitutional amendment, and it was too difficult to get all thirteen 

states to agree to such a change.

Based on the passage, decide which of the following would be allowed under the Articles of Confederation.

The Articles of Confederation also gave the national government very limited powers to regulate currency.

Match each cause to the effect