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Difficulty: HardThe Articles of Confederation and the Northwest Territory

"We are convinced, by a cool and dispassionate consideration of the subject, that the covetousness of those states who are ambitiously grasping at territory, to which in our opinion they have not any shadow of right, will use with moderation and justice the power which the corner stone of their, and our, future independence shall give them... We are convinced to policy and justice, that the back lands, if secured by the blood and treasure of all, ought to be a common property, free for the lay out of new commissioner states..."

—Instructions of the General Assembly of Maryland to their delegates in the Continental Congress, 1778

The concerns expressed in the excerpt contributed most directly to which of the following?

  1. The insistence by smaller states that western lands be ceded to the confederation government as a condition for ratifying the Articles of ConfederationAnswer
  2. B
    The creation of a federal supreme court with the authority to resolve conflicting interstate territorial claims
  3. C
    The immediate imposition of national tariffs on goods transported across state lines to pay off revolutionary war debts
  4. D
    The development of a political compromise where the federal government assumed state debts in exchange for locating the permanent capital in the South

Answer

The insistence by smaller states that western lands be ceded to the confederation government as a condition for ratifying the Articles of Confederation
The correct answer is correct because Maryland, a state with no western land claims, refused to ratify the Articles of Confederation until states with extensive western land charters (such as Virginia) ceded those lands to the common national government. Once these cessions were promised, Maryland signed the Articles in 1781, and the ceded lands eventually formed the basis for the Northwest Territory.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the source document
The excerpt is from the Instructions of the General Assembly of Maryland in 1778, expressing concern that states with large western land claims will become too powerful and that western lands should instead be 'common property.'
Understanding the source context helps identify the primary political struggle over western land claims during the American Revolution.
2
Identify the historical outcome of this dispute
Maryland refused to ratify the Articles of Confederation until states like Virginia agreed to cede their western claims to the national government, which they eventually did, allowing the Articles to go into effect in 1781.
Linking the document's concern to its concrete historical consequence reveals the correct answer.
3
Evaluate the options against historical facts
The option regarding cessions of western lands matches the historical events. The options regarding a supreme court, national tariffs, and debt assumption represent later developments under the Constitution or powers that the Articles government did not possess.
Comparing the historical reality with each option ensures the elimination of distractors based on chronological or structural misconceptions.

Key Concept

The ratification process of the Articles of Confederation was delayed by disputes over western land claims, which were resolved when states ceded their claims to the national government, paving the way for the creation of the Northwest Territory.
Estimated Time:2m 0s
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Topics

The Articles of Confederation and the Northwest Territory

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