Model Student Answer to 2000 FRQ

A1. One problem of decentralized power that existed under the Articles of Confederation was the lack of a national currency. With no national currency, it was hard for states to trade with one another which led to tensions. People within the states also didn’t trust the value of the state’s particular currency which led to hyper-inflation in some cases.


A2. The Constitution under Article I gave Congress the power to coin money, banning the states from printing their own. This created a national currency for all states to use.



B1. Another problem of decentralized power that existed under the Articles of Confederation was that the nation lacked a strong central government. If issues or disputes arose within or between states, there was no national arbiter to settle these problems. Shay’s Rebellion was a case study in just how weak government in the United States was at that time. A group of angry farmers stormed the local government demanding back pensions and a halt to their farms being taken away due to taxes. Who could stand up to this rebellion?


B2. As the result of Shay’s Rebellion a national military was established under the Constitution that was capable of putting down any rebellion that could threaten the new republic.


C1. Another problem of decentralized power was the lack of a Chief Executive or president. Colonial shipping was openly victim to pirate attacks by both Great Britain and France. The fact that the colonies had no national leader to negotiate shipping issues and other treaties made the United States particularly weak and open to exploitation.


C2. Under Article II of the Constitution, a Chief Executive was created giving him the power to wage war and negotiate treaties as necessary. The Founding Fathers were careful not to give this leader too much power. They infused the Constitution with checks and balances to ensure that the Chief Executive would be answerable to the people.


D1. There are tensions between centralized and decentralized powers within the United States when considering the issue of gun control. In the case of Washington DC, the federal government has overruled a 20 year ban on concealed weapons, despite the DC’s desire to keep the ban in effect. The US Supreme Court citing the 2nd Amendment, overturned state law to the protestations of law enforcement agents and the district’s mayor.