The first national government had a one-house Congress and left most authority with the states. What document set up this system?

Under the Articles of Confederation, how many of the 13 states had to agree before Congress could pass important laws?

In 1786, delegates from only five states met to discuss trade problems and called for a larger meeting the next year. Which meeting was this?

The Articles did not take effect until 1781 because one state refused to approve them until other states gave up their western land claims. Which state was it?

Which delegate to the Second Continental Congress wrote the first draft of the Articles of Confederation in 1776?

Congress requested money from states, but some states sent little or nothing. What weakness did this reveal?

States placed taxes on goods from other states, and these disputes hurt business across the country. What weakness did this show?

Under the Articles, each state's own judges decided cases about national treaties and laws, often in different ways. What weakness did this reveal?

Congress passed laws, but nobody in the national government had the job of carrying them out, so states often ignored them. What weakness did this reveal?

Virginia had far more people than Delaware, but each state had the same vote in Congress. What weakness did critics see?

Twelve states agreed to change the Articles so Congress could collect a tax on imports, but Rhode Island said no and the change failed. What weakness did this reveal?

A law set rules for governing the land north of the Ohio River, banned slavery there, and let new states join as equals. What accomplishment was this?

Congress created a rectangular survey system for selling western lands in townships. What accomplishment was this?

The United States gained British recognition of independence and territory to the Mississippi River. What Confederation-period success was this?

Congress reserved a section in many western townships to support public schools. What land policy included this idea?

In early 1787, farmers in Shays' Rebellion marched on the federal arsenal at Springfield, Massachusetts. Who paid for the state militia that stopped them?

After Shays' Rebellion, many leaders worried that the Articles could not keep order. What meeting gained urgency?

Daniel Shays and other farmers resisted Massachusetts courts during a debt crisis. What national problem did the rebellion highlight?

Shays' Rebellion showed that Congress could not easily raise money or troops during an emergency. What did many leaders want next?

News of Shays' Rebellion helped persuade a Virginia leader to leave retirement and attend the 1787 convention, where he was chosen to lead it. Who was he?