Articles of Confederation

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Across
  1. 2. Formal consent needed from 9 of 13 states to pass major legislation, or all 13 states to amend the Articles.
  2. 4. Mandatory revenue collections that Congress could not levy directly, relying instead on voluntary contributions from individual states.
  3. 11. System of money that proved chaotic under the Articles because both the national government and individual states issued their own paper notes.
  4. 12. Conflict between states over borders or tariffs that the central government had little power to resolve.
  5. 14. Ground military force that Congress could request from state militias, though it lacked the authority to directly draft soldiers.
  6. 16. Branch Governmental division absent under the Articles, leaving the country without a permanent president to carry out laws.
  7. 17. Sole branch of national government under the Articles, operating as a unicameral legislative body.
  8. 19. To formally enact a law, which required a supermajority vote of 9 out of the 13 states in Congress.
  9. 20. Federal tribunal network missing under the Articles, leaving legal conflicts solely to individual state benches.
  10. 23. One of the few national public services successfully established and maintained by Congress under the Articles.
  11. 24. Power over interstate trade and commerce that Congress lacked, leading to trade wars between states.
  12. 25. Mandatory action Congress could not perform regarding taxes, leaving the central government perpetually broke.
  13. 26. State representative sent to attend and participate in the national Congress.
Down
  1. 1. Major international conflict that required the national government to formally declare, though it relied on state funding and troops to wage it.
  2. 3. First governing frame of the United States, creating a loose union of sovereign states.
  3. 5. Maritime defense force that Congress had the formal authority to build and equip, though severe funding shortages hindered its development.
  4. 6. National leader position that did not exist under the Articles out of fear of creating another king.
  5. 7. Branch Branch of government missing at the national level under the original confederation, preventing federal trials.
  6. 8. Action Congress could take regarding an army only by requesting troops from states, rather than drafting directly.
  7. 9. 1786 armed uprising of debt-ridden Massachusetts farmers that exposed the severe central weaknesses of the Articles.
  8. 10. Positive feature of the Articles, such as providing a structured plan for admitting new western territories.
  9. 13. State of international harmony formally negotiated and concluded by Congress through diplomatic treaties, such as the 1783 Treaty of Paris.
  10. 15. Major characteristic of the central government under the Articles, intentionally designed to prevent tyranny.
  11. 18. Commercial exchange between states and foreign nations that Congress could not regulate, leading to economic rivalries and state-imposed tariffs.
  12. 21. Authority Congress notoriously lacked, making it impossible to compel states to follow federal laws.
  13. 22. Standardized measurement system that Congress was granted the authority to fix and regulate across the states.
  14. 23. Authority that was intentionally kept minimal at the national level to prevent tyranny, leaving most control with individual states.