Step Four: Put It All Together

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CHAPTER 8 STUDY GUIDE

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PUT IT ALL TOGETHER

Now, take a step back and try to explain the big picture. Remember to use specific examples from the chapter in your answers.

Click here to download the questions for Step 4 in MS Word.

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THE ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION

  • How did the confederation government deal with the problem of western lands?
  • What do the state constitutions drawn up during the confederation period tell us about the range of political opinion during the Revolutionary War and the years immediately following?
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THE FIGHT FOR RATIFICATION

  • Where was support for the Constitution strongest? Where was it weakest? Why?
  • Why did the Federalists ultimately prevail over the Antifederalists? What were the Federalists’ most important weapons in the debate over the Constitution?

THE CREATION OF A NEW CONSTITUTION

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  • What forces and events combined to produce momentum for the creation of a new constitution?
  • What political compromises were embodied in the Constitution?

LOOKING BACKWARD, LOOKING AHEAD

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  • How did pre-revolutionary experiences with colonial legislatures and the British government shape the Articles of Confederation? The United States Constitution?
  • What issues were left unresolved by the framers of the Constitution? Why?