The document provides learning targets and reading questions about the period after the American Revolution, including the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation government, the events leading up to the Constitutional Convention, the key debates between Federalists and Anti-Federalists, and the difficult ratification process. It lists important people, groups, events, documents, and vocabulary terms related to the establishment of the US Constitution and new federal government between 1776-1790.

1. Name____________________________________________________Class__________Date_________________<br />Chapter 9: The Confederation & the Constitution (1776-1790)<br />Learning Targets:<br />I can explain the movement toward social & political equity that flourished after the Revolution, & I can indicate why certain social & racial inequalities remained in place.<br />I can describe the government of the Articles of Confederation & I can summarize its achievements & failures.<br />I can explain the crucial role of Shays' Rebellion in sparking the movement for a new Constitution.<br />I can describe the basic intentions of the Founding Fathers, & I can describe how they incorporated their fundamental principles into the Constitution.<br />I can summarize the central concerns that motivated the Anti-Federalists, and I can discuss their social, economic, & political differences with the Federalists.<br />I can describe the difficult political fight over ratification of the Constitution, and I can analyze the reasons the Federalists won.<br />I can evaluate the degree to which the new Constitutional government represented a conservative reaction to the American Revolution.<br />Reading Questions:<br />How did the revolutionary American ideas of natural human rights, equality, and freedom from governmental tyranny affect developments in the immediate post-Revolutionary period (1783-1789)?<br />How were women and African Americans affected by the ideas of the American Revolution? Why was slavery abolished in the north but not in the entire nation?<br />Which problems of the post-Revolutionary period and weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation led to the adoption of a new Constitution?<br />What were the basic features of the new Constitution, and how did they differ from the government under the Articles of Confederation?<br />Who were the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists? What were the issues that divided them? Why did the Federalists win?<br />Should the Constitution be seen as a conservative reaction to the Revolution, an enshrinement of revolutionary principles, or both? What was most truly original about the Constitution?<br />In chapters 4 & 5, the basic structure of early American society was described. How was that structure changed by the political developments during the period after the Revolution? How did the Constitution itself reflect issues concerning social structure, economic equality, and the distribution of power?<br />Americans have traditionally revered the Constitution and viewed its writers as quot;
demigods.quot;
Does the historical account of the actual initiation, writing, and ratification of the Constitution confirm or distract from that view? Explain.<br />Key TermsNamesAbigail AdamsDaniel ShaysJames MadisonAlexander HamiltonGroupsFederalistsAnti-FederalistsEventsShays' RebellionConstitutional ConventionDocuments & LawsArticles of ConfederationLand Ordinance of 1785Northwest Ordinance of 1787Virginia PlanNew Jersey PlanGreat CompromiseThree-Fifths CompromiseBill of RightsFederalist PapersVocabularyEgalitarianquot;
Civic virtuequot;
quot;
Republican motherhoodquot;
Central governmentSeparation of powersBicameralRatification Factions<br />