American History Homework Three Answers - Student Six

NatalieD-

1. One weakness of the Articles of confederation was that they created a very week national government. The states retained most of the power themselves. Congress lacked the power to impose taxes on the people, so it had no money to raise an army if needed. Another weakness was the articles also required nine out of thirteen states to amend the Articles, rather than a simple majority vote. Those percentages were too high, and the states often had trouble agreeing on things.

Great points. Note that it is "weak", not "week".

2. Congress, the Legislative Branch, is established in Article I of the Constitution. The President’s powers, the Executive Branch, are established in Article II. The Supreme Court, Judicial Branch, is established in Article III.

Correct.

3. George Washington was a very humble man. He was extremely popular and respected during his presidency. His Jesus-like feature allowed him to decline power in order to advance the greater good. He showed mercy on Citizen Genet as well as the convicted farmers from the Whiskey Rebellion.

Superb. Will use as a model answer.

4. The most important invention of the 1790’s was the Cotton Gin, which was created by Eli Whitney in 1793. The Cotton Gin was a machine that separated the cotton from its thorny branches and seeds. It could do the work of 50 men and greatly increased cotton production in the South. Because of this increase of cotton production, the South was now the primary source of cotton, becoming a powerful economic force. The economy of the South was tied to the cotton production. Also, due to the increase of cotton production, slavery was now needed even more, tying the economy to slavery. The power of the “King Cotton” contributed to the idea that the South could be independent.

Excellent.

5. This cartoon depicts the ratification of the Constitution by the states as the construction of a building. The columns representing Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia and Connecticut are already in position because those states had already ratified the Constitution. A pair of hands, most likely God's, are shown lifting the Massachusetts column into an upright position alongside the others. Massachusetts was the sixth state to ratify the Constitution. It was called the federal superstructure because Federalists supported the ratification of the constitution. It represents the federalists being afraid that the Constitution would not be ratified because a lot of the larger states did not approve of it.

Superb.

6. Two significant achievements of The Northwest Ordinance were it established a three-stage process based on population for the new states to be created and join the Confederation. Another achievement was the Northwest Ordinance was the first law to protect territories from the government, which sometimes took private property without just paying for it.

Excellent.

7. John Adams presidency was pretty much a failure. The most significant thing about his presidency was his signing of an law which went against the newly made constitution. Adams didn’t handle criticism of himself well. His reaction was to make it a crime to criticize him. He signed the Alien and Sedition Acts,. The Sedition Acts made it a crime to criticize Adams; a law that is unconstitutional.

Good.

H1 In his farewell address, he reminded Americans that morality is the foundation of a prosperous society; “religion and morality are indispensible supports.” Our society is not at its highest point right now. Morality and religion are no longer regarded as important in many people, and as a result, many people commit horrendous crimes and murders, as well as drug and alcohol abuse that also helps produce accidental as well as intentional deaths, injuries, and much more.

Very well done.

H4 In Shays’ Rebellion, Shay and his gang kept on attacking and capturing until they were forced to run from the militia that was finally sent against them. In the Whiskey Rebellion, the farmers were protesting against the tax on the whiskey, attacking marshals and revenue agents. George Washington told the Pennsylvania governor to end the rebelion, but he refused. George Washington then raised his own army and personally led the soldiers, and the farmers gave up without bloodshed. I think it is definitely necessary to have a president, someone who is up there to control the chaos and lead the country.

Washington felt the same way. Note that it is "rebellion", not "rebelion".

H5 Jefferson and Madison responded to the Alien and Sedition Acts by drafting strong state resolutions, to “nullify” them as unconstitutional. They invoked state sovereignty, claiming that a state does not have to obey an unconstitutional federal law. I would agree with them, because the law was unconstitutional.

Good explanation.

Terrific homework. You achieved one of the very few perfect scores! 100/100.--Aschlafly 22:21, 2 October 2008 (EDT)