Educational worksheet on early U.S. history focusing on the Articles of Confederation and constitutional development.

Let’s go step by step to solve each question based on the reading passage.

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Question 1: Why was the initial period such a struggle for life in the United States?

From the text:
- The first settlers had very little food and supplies.
- They didn’t know how to farm or survive in this new place.
- Many died from hunger, disease, and cold.
- Native Americans helped them learn to grow crops like corn.

So, it was hard because they were unprepared — no food, no farming skills, harsh weather, and sickness.

✔ Answer: Life was hard at first because settlers didn’t have enough food, didn’t know how to farm, got sick easily, and faced cold winters. Many died until Native Americans taught them how to grow food.

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Question 2: What did the state governments need to pay for?

From the text:
- After the war, states owed money to soldiers who fought.
- States also needed to pay for things like roads, schools, and government workers.
- But they didn’t have much money — so they printed their own paper money (which wasn’t worth much).

✔ Answer: State governments needed to pay soldiers who fought in the war, plus costs for running the government like building roads, paying officials, and funding public services.

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Question 3: Where did they get the money to pay for these things?

From the text:
- States tried printing their own money — but it lost value quickly.
- People wouldn’t accept it because it wasn’t backed by gold or silver.
- Some states taxed people more, but that made people angry.
- Eventually, the federal government stepped in to help create a better system.

✔ Answer: At first, states printed their own money, but it didn’t work well. Later, they raised taxes and asked the national government for help to fix the money problem.

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Final Answer:

1. Life was hard at first because settlers lacked food, farming knowledge, and faced disease and cold; many died until Native Americans taught them to grow crops.

2. State governments needed to pay soldiers, build infrastructure, and fund public services like schools and roads.

3. They tried printing their own money (which failed), then raised taxes and eventually relied on the federal government to stabilize the currency.