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Lesson

The Articles of Confederation – Docs of Freedom

Guiding question

To what extent does an excess of liberty endanger individual liberty?

Duration
145 min
Published
Nov 5, 2020
A historical scene depicting three figures, one draping an American flag, in colonial attire.
In 1777, the Second Continental Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation, the first government of the independent United States. The Articles created a “confederacy,” an association of sovereign states. Every state was its own country, except with respect to those powers expressly delegated to the U.S. Congress, and it agreed to do certain things for and with the other states in the confederacy. But by the mid-1780s, more and more people were becoming concerned about problems with the Articles.

Guiding Questions

  • To what extent does an excess of liberty endanger individual liberty?
  • To what extent can individual rights and liberties be protected without a strong central government?

Objectives

  • Students will analyze the provisions of the Articles of Confederation.
  • Students will determine why individuals such as George Washington expressed a growing concern over government’s inadequacies, and why these concerns were expressed by and heightened after events such as Shays’s Rebellion.
  • Students will explain why there was a growing call for creating a strong central government and the rationales for the various arguments.

Materials

Educator Resources

Educator Note: Handout A: Articles of Confederation and Handout K: Vices of the Political System are provided for reference and research, but are not directly used in activities.

Student Handouts

Lesson Components

ActivityPrimary Source: Articles of Confederation: March 1, 1781
ActivityHandout B: Evaluation of the Articles of Confederation
ActivityHandout C: Committee of Detail – Executive Power
ActivityHandout D: Excerpts from the Introduction to the Annapolis Convention Report
ActivityPrimary Source: Excerpts from the Annapolis Convention Report
ActivityHandout F: Articles of Confederation One-Pager
ActivityHandout G: Shays’s Rebellion Participants and Locations
ActivityHandout H: Role Play Outline
ActivityHandout I: Analysis of Shays’s Rebellion
ActivityHandout J: Main Headings from the Vices of the Political System of the United States
ActivityPrimary Source: Vices of the Political System of the United States, Full Text
EssayEssay: The Articles of Confederation

In 1777, the Second Continental Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation, the first government of the independent United States. The Articles created a "confederacy," an association of sovereign states. Every state was its own country, except with respect to those powers expressly delegated to the U.S. Congress, and it agreed to do certain things for and with the other states in the confederacy. But by the mid-1780s, more and more people were becoming concerned about problems with the Articles.

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Lesson plan

145 minClick a phase to open it

Key Terms

Alexander Hamilton
Articles of Confederation
Constitution
Continental Congress
George Washington

Standards

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