Directed Reading Packet

Directions: BEFORE you read the assignment from the text and begin your notes, outline or summary, READ/REVIEW the questions for that section to guide your reading and point out important topics to notice as you read.  Label and date all work in your notebook.  After each class review vocabulary and concepts for quizzes.  If you have questions, please ask them in class.

Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union

Text Read Chapter 5-1 pages 132-141

1. Vocabulary: republic, republicanism, republican motherhood, sovereignty, constitution, Bill of Rights, ratify, cede, ordinance. 2. How were republican state governments more democratic than any others in the Western world up to this time? 3. Be able to compare and contrast the Colonial American Government with the early state governments. How did they reflect a reaction to British rule? 4. Differentiate between the powers given and denied the central government under the Articles of Confederation. How were the powers divided by the Articles? 5. What is a tariff? 6. What was the purpose of the Land Ordinance of 1785? 7. What were the provisions of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787? 8. According to the Northwest Ordinance, what were the specific steps to statehood? 9. What were the weaknesses of the Articles? How did this lead to problems for the new nation? 10. What led to Shay’s Rebellion? What was the outcome? Were the farmers justified in their actions? Explain. 11. How did Shay’s Rebellion lead to calls for a more powerful government?

Text Read Chapter 5-2 pages 142-148 Compromises

1. Why did the delegates agree to keep the proceedings of the Constitutional Convention a secret? 2. Be able to identify three important issues debated at the Constitutional Convention. Know what each side of these issues believed and who the supporters were. Tell why the issue was controversial and how it was resolved. 3. What do the major compromises in the Constitution reveal about the different interests of various groups of Americans? 4. What were the positions taken by the Federalists? List a few names. 5. What were the positions taken by the Antifederalists? List a few names. 6. What were the 3 objections the Antifederalists to the Constitution as written? 7. How did the Federalists respond to the arguments of the Antifederalists? 8. How did the battle over ratification lay the foundations for political parties?

Text Read Chapter 5-3 pages 149-155 Flexibility, Federal System, Separation of Powers, Checks and Balances

1. How does the Constitution divide power between the federal and state governments? A Venn diagram might be useful for this comparison. 2. Vocabulary: federalism, delegated powers, reserved powers, , , separation of powers, checks and balances, impeachment, veto, override, lobbying, Message, Elastic Clause/ Article 1 Section 8 Paragraph 18. 3. What makes the Constitution so flexible? Why? 4. What is the difference between separation of powers and checks and balances? 5. Be able to explain the checks the Legislative Branch has on the Executive and Judicial Branches. Explain the checks the Executive Branch has on the Legislative and Judicial Branches. Explain the checks the Judicial Branch has on the Legislative and Executive Branches. A diagram might work well for this concept. 6. How does the separation of powers among the government’s three branches limit the power of each? Give examples. 7. Why do you think the framers made the amendment process difficult? 8. Why can the Constitution be considered a flexible, living document?