Articles of
Confederation
By Douglas D. Day
ED 639
The Articles
of
Confederation
and Perpetual
Union
Dayton Public
• Grade level: 8th
• Class: American History Part I
• Lesson: First United States Government
Objectives
• Students will be able to identify the
Articles of Confederation and explain
why they failed.
• Students will be able to identify positive
outcomes of the Articles of
Confederation.
Materials needed
• Myself
– Computer
– Video Projector
– Projector Screen
– Pointer Stick
• My Students
– Pencils/Pens
– Notebooks
– Books
Websites
•
•
•
•
•
Wikipedia
Second Continental Congress
Cities in the Colonial Atlantic World
Alexander Hamilton Historical Society
The US Constitution Online
Student Activities
• Bell Ringer – students will come in, sit down
and write about why the second continental
congress came together using information
from the previous day’s notes and from their
reading.
• Recitation – I will led the students in a review
of the notes given the day before.
Student Activities continued..
• Lecture notes – the following slides.
• Debate – I will monitor a debate between
students on the pros and cons of the Articles
of Confederation.
• Worksheet with vocabulary words and
concepts pertaining to Articles; start it in class
then assign what is not finish as homework.
Background
• The Articles of
Confederation were
adopted on Nov 15,
1777 by the Second
Continental Congress
• The congress was
held in Philadelphia
Background continued…
• Ratified on March 1, 1781
• Made obsolete on June 21, 1788 when
New Hampshire ratified the new US
Constitution
Ratification
• The first state to ratify the Articles was
South Carolina on February 5, 1778
• The last state to ratify was Maryland on
March 1, 1781
– Maryland was waiting for New York and
Virginia rescinded their claims to land in
the Ohio River valley.
Summation of Articles
• Named the Confederation of state as
the ‘The United States of America’
• US a union of states “for their common
defense”
• Central Government conducted foreign
relations, declared war, set weights and
measures (including money), and settle
disputes between states.
Articles continued…
• Expenditures by the United States will
be paid by funds raised by state
legislatures
Articles continued…
• Requires nine
states to approve a
new state; Canada
pre-approved
• Articles could only
be altered with all
states ratification.
Problems
• Under the Articles, Congress could
make laws but could not enforce them.
• Congress had no power of taxation
– Congress could only request money from
the states
– The states generally did not comply with
Congress’ request
Success
• The Articles held the Colonies together
during the Revolutionary War.
• Land Ordinance of 1785
– established the general land survey and
ownership provisions
Northwest Ordinance of 1787
• The original states gave
up land west
• Paving way for the
future states
–
–
–
–
–
–
Ohio
Michigan
Indiana
Illinois
Wisconsin
Part of Minnesota
Revision
• May 1786, Charles
Pinckney of South
Carolina proposed that
Congress revise the
Articles of Confederation.
• September of 1786,
Alexander Hamilton
chaired the Annapolis
Convention.
Revision continued…
• Congress meet in Philadelphia and after
debate, Congress endorsed the plan to
revise the Articles of Confederation on
February 21, 1787.
Goodbye Articles
• Sept. 28, 1787- Congress sends
Constitution to States for ratification
• July 2, 1788- Ratification of Constitution
formally announced by Congress,
following ratification by ninth state, New
Hampshire, on June 21, 1788
Goodbye continued…
• Nov. 1, 1788- Congress
under Articles of
Confederation adjourns
• Apr. 1, 1789- House of
Representatives under
Constitution reaches a
quorum