American Government  2. 3   The Articles of Confederation

Drill: oppression, correspondence
Oppression: to govern or rule harshly
Correspondence: to contact in writing.

OBJECTIVE
Students will be able to explain the weaknesses and achievements of the Articles of Confederation by completing today’s assignment.

I. Government Under the Articles of Confederation
A.	The nation’s first government included a single-chamber Congress
B.	Each state had one vote, but it had no executive branch or court system.
II. Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation
A.	The Congress had no power to collect taxes 
B.	Amending the Articles required the approval of all the states.
C.	The central government had no president or executive 
D. There was no system of national courts
III. Achievements
A. The Confederation government established a policy for developing land.
B. The Confederation government signed the peace treaty with England.
IV. The Need for Stronger Government 
A.	Soon after the war, disputes broke out among the states
B.	An economic depression in 1786 lead to Shays’s Rebellion
C.	In 1786 at Annapolis, called a convention to revise the Articles of Confederation.
Odds & Ends
A. Ratified means to approved
B. Unicameral is a single-chambered Congress
C. Under the Articles, approval of 9 of 13 states was needed to pass a law
D. In order to amend or change Articles, consent of all 13 states was needed
E. Cede means to yield territory claims
F. Under the Articles of Confederation, the plan for the central government did NOT include an executive branch. 				
G. According to the Articles of Confederation, this was the main purpose of Congress is to make laws.
H. According to the Articles of Confederation, Congress had the power to amend the Articles
I. Shays’s Rebellion caused many Americans to agree to a strong national government.

American Government  2. 3   The Articles of Confederation

Reading Review
1. B 				6. A
2. E 				7. D
3. A 				8. B
4. C 				9. D
5. D 				10. C		

11. Shays’s Rebellion demonstrated the need for a stronger government, when the farmers of Pennsylvania armed themselves and started a rebellion.  This action alarmed people who feared mob violence.

Identify:
Consent - permission
Cede – to yield: territory/claims
Unicameral – single chambered Congress 

Skill Activity
1. In all, there are 106 items that have information on colonial government.
2. To see more items on the list press the Enter key
3. To see more information about the book by Arthur Darling type the item number (40)
4. Since the search specified “colonial government,” materials include books about colonies governed by the United States as well as about the thirteen original colonies.
5. If you wanted to read sources that were based on first-hand accounts of early governments in the United States, you would use numbers 37, 38, 39
6. One would have used key words such as: “governments,” “thirteen,” “original colonies,” ”organized,” that would effectively narrow one’s subject search. 

Summary: In today’s lesson we explained the weaknesses and achievements of the Articles of Confederation. 

Homework: Articles of Confederation, ratified
Articles of Confederation – first government of the United States
Ratified – to approve

Name ______________________________________ Date __________ Class _______

American Government  2. 3   The Articles of Confederation

Match each item in Column A with the items in Column B. Write the correct letters in the blanks. 
Column A
_____1. approved
_____2. single-chambered Congress
_____3. needed to pass a law
_____4. needed to amend or change Articles
_____5. yield territory claims	Column B
A. approval of 9 of 13 states
B. ratified
C. consent of all 13 states
D. cede
E. unicameral

In the blank at the left, write the letter of the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question. 
_____6. Under the Articles of Confederation, the plan for the central government did NOT include
A. an executive branch. 				C. a unicameral Congress.
B. one vote per state. 					D. one delegate from each state.
_____7. According to the Articles of Confederation, this was the main purpose of Congress.
A. interrupting laws 					C. enforcing laws
B. unifying the executive branch 			D. lawmaking
_____8. According to the Articles of Confederation, Congress had this power.
A. to enforce the national courts 			C. to levy and collect taxes
B. to amend the Articles 				D. to regulate trade
_____9. Shays’s Rebellion was caused by this problem.
A. government interference 				C. the Northwest Ordinance
B. control of passports 				D. economic depression
_____10. This caused many Americans to agree to a strong national government.
A. the Philadelphia convention 			C. Shays’s Rebellion
B. the Northwest Ordinance 				D. the Annapolis convention

11. Name one political group or individual that you consider important? Explain your selection.

Identify:
Consent - 
Cede - 
Unicameral - 

Skill Activity Chapter 2.3 Using a Computerized Card Catalog
To locate research materials on a particular topic, you will probably need to begin by using an OPAC—an online public access catalog, the new term for a computerized card catalog. You can request a title, author, or subject search to find materials. When you perform a subject search, you may need to broaden or narrow your topic to get a suitable list of resources.

The screen display below shows a partial list of materials obtained from a subject search on colonial government. Study the display, then answer the questions that follow on a separate sheet of paper.

Skill Activity Chapter 2.3 Using a Computerized Card Catalog…Continued

2.3 Skill Activities
1. How many items in all have information on colonial government?

2. What would you do to see more items on the list?

3. What would you do to see more information about the book by Arthur Darling?

4. Why do you think the materials include books about the Philippines as well as the English colonies of North America?

5. If you wanted to read sources that were based on first-hand accounts of early governments in the United States, which references would you use?

6. If you were going to use an online public access catalog in the library, to find materials on how the governments of the thirteen original colonies were organized. What combinations of key words would you need to try to locate relevant materials..

In your own words, summarize today’s lesson.