AP U.S. History Flashcards: The Articles of Confederation
Written by AP Content Team, Verified for 2026 AP Exams, Last updated: May 2026
Review key ideas with interactive flashcards. This set includes 10 cards to help you master important concepts.
Post-Revolutionary State Constitutions
New forms of government developed after the Revolution that often placed power in the legislative branch and kept property qualifications for voting.
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Post-Revolutionary State Constitutions
New forms of government developed after the Revolution that often placed power in the legislative branch and kept property qualifications for voting.
How did the government under the Articles of Confederation address the issue of westward expansion in the 1780s?
As settlers moved westward, Congress enacted the Northwest Ordinance to establish a clear process for admitting new states.
What was a significant outcome of the difficulties faced under the Articles of Confederation?
Post-Revolution difficulties under the weak central government led to widespread calls for a stronger central government.
If a person in a new state wanted to vote shortly after the Revolution, what requirement might they have had to meet?
They would likely have had to meet certain property qualifications for voting, as these were maintained in many new state constitutions.
What was the stance on slavery in the territory governed by the Northwest Ordinance?
The Northwest Ordinance established a ban on slavery within the Northwest Territory.
What was the fundamental limitation of the central government under the Articles of Confederation?
The central government created by the Articles of Confederation was designed to have, and was characterized by, its limited power.
Northwest Ordinance
An act of Congress in the 1780s that provided a method for admitting new states from the Northwest Territory and banned slavery there.
What three key principles did the Northwest Ordinance promote for new states?
The ordinance promoted public education, the protection of private property, and a ban on slavery in the Northwest Territory.
How did new state constitutions typically distribute governmental power after the Revolution?
Many new state constitutions placed power predominantly in the hands of the legislative branch.
Articles of Confederation
The document that unified the newly independent states, creating a central government with limited power.