WANTED:
A “Just Right”
Government
Wanted: A government that…
• Has enough ________ to do its job
• Doesn’t give anyone too ______
power
much
say
• Considers the needs of all
_________
states
• Lets people have a ________
• Protects individual __________
power
rights
The Articles of Confederation
group
A confederation is a _________
of
individuals _______
united together
for a _________.
purpose
The Articles of Confederation
independent
• Each state was _________________
and had its
government
own ________________.
representatives to the
• Each state would send _______________
“Congress of the Confederation.”
central
• The Congress was the only ____________
government. There was no ___________.
President
• In Congress, each state got _______
vote.
one
A Rocky Relationship
Hey, this sounds great!
Wait! Not so fast…
• States get to keep their
• Congress had no way to
power and independence
enforce
laws
______
____________ __________
its _______!
• No _____________
government telling
the states what to do
• Congress had no power to
taxes
collect _________
to pay
for the military!
• Congress had the power to
military to
create a _________
• The Articles could only be
protect
changed if ______
ALL the
________all
the states
_________
states agreed!
QUICK QUIZ!
THE ARTICLES OF
CONFEDERATION
A New Idea!
Articles of
Confederation
1 Branch
Legislative—makes laws
New Idea
3 Branches
Battle of the Plans
The Virginia Plan
The New Jersey Plan
2
• Legislative branch has ___
“chambers”
1
• Legislative branch has ___
“chamber”
• Number of votes for each
state depends on the
population
state’s ___________
• Each state gets ___
1 vote
Larger states would
• ________
have more power
• Drafted by James Madison
Smaller states would
• ________
have more power
(Virginia was a large state, and New Jersey was a small state. Surprise!)
The Constitution Solution
Legislative:
Makes laws
Divide Congress Into Two Houses
Senate
Each state gets 2
votes.
House of
Representatives
The more people
the state has, the
more votes it gets!
Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists
QUICK QUIZ!
THE CONSTITUTION
SOLUTION
The Articles required
states to treat
citizens from other
states the same as
their own citizens.
 True
 False

The Constitution
requires each state to
treat ________
citizens of other
states the ______
same as it
treats its own citizens.
How many states had
to agree in order for
the Articles of
Confederation to be
changed?
 All states

 A majority of states
The Constitution can be
changed if
________________
two-thirds (2/3) of the
members of Congress and
________________
three-fourths (3/4) of the
states agree.
The Articles of
Confederation required
states to follow the
laws Congress passed.
 True
 False

The Constitution says
that the laws passed by
Congress are
_________
superior to laws
passed by the _______.
states
Under the
Constitution, laws are
made by the _______
branch.
A
B
executive legislative
Under the
Constitution, laws
passed by Congress
are ___ to state laws.
A
superior
B
inferior
Under the
Constitution,
Congress has ______.
A
B
1 chamber 2 chambers
Under the
Constitution, each
state gets two votes
in the _______.
A
House of
Representatives
B
Senate
Under the Constitution,
the number of votes
each state gets in the
House of Representatives
is based on its _____.
A
Population
B
Taxes
Under the Constitution,
a change to the
Constitution must be
approved by ____.
A
All States
B
¾ of States
QUICK QUIZ!
ARTICLES VS.
CONSTITUTION
A) Created a president
Both
Articles
Constitution
Decide whether each
statement applies to
the Articles of
Confederation, the
Constitution, or both.
A
B) Created a government
Both
Articles
Constitution
Decide whether each
statement applies to
the Articles of
Confederation, the
Constitution, or both.
A
B
C) Had one branch of
government
Both
Articles
Constitution
Decide whether each
statement applies to
the Articles of
Confederation, the
Constitution, or both.
A
C
B
D) Had enough power to
do its job
Both
Articles
Constitution
Decide whether each
statement applies to
the Articles of
Confederation, the
Constitution, or both.
A
D
C
B
E) Created a court system
Both
Articles
Constitution
Decide whether each
statement applies to
the Articles of
Confederation, the
Constitution, or both.
A
C
D
B
E
F) Gave large and small
states the same power
Both
Articles
Constitution
Decide whether each
statement applies to
the Articles of
Confederation, the
Constitution, or both.
A
C
D
B
E
F
G) Created a Congress
Both
Articles
Constitution
Decide whether each
statement applies to
the Articles of
Confederation, the
Constitution, or both.
A
G
B
D
E
C
F
H) Compromised between
large and small states
Both
Constitution
Decide whether each
statement applies to
the Articles of
Confederation, the
Constitution, or both.
A
H
Articles
G
B
D
E
C
F
I) Created a military
Both
Constitution
Decide whether each
statement applies to
the Articles of
Confederation, the
Constitution, or both.
A
H
Articles
I
G
B
D
E
C
F
I) Didn’t let Congress
enforce its laws
Both
Constitution
Decide whether each
statement applies to
the Articles of
Confederation, the
Constitution, or both.
A
H
I
G
B
D
E
Articles
J
C
F