Day 3

Learning Targets:  Students will be able to...

• Explain the relationship between key provisions of the Articles of Confederation and the debate over granting the federal government greater power formerly reserved to the states.  
• Explain connections between historical context and people’s perspectives about government at the time.

Opener:  Following our "dub" over the British in 1776-1783, what do you think was foremost in the minds of the people responsible for creating our new government?

Activity #1: AoC - ASAP

Use ASAP to analyze the following document excerpts from the Articles of Confederation, written in 1777 by members of the Continental Congress.  Place your responses in your notebook.

Article I. The Stile of this Confederacy shall be "The United States of America."

Article II. Each state retains its sovereignty, freedom, and independence, and every power, jurisdiction, and right, which is not by this Confederation expressly delegated to the United States, in Congress assembled.

Article III. The said States hereby severally enter into a firm league of friendship with each other, for their common defense, the security of their liberties, and their mutual and general welfare, binding themselves to assist each other, against all force offered to, or attacks made upon them, or any of them, on account of religion, sovereignty, trade, or any other pretense whatever.

Article IV. ...The people of each State shall have free ingress and regress to and from any other State, and shall enjoy therein all the privileges of trade and commerce, subject to the same duties, impositions, and restrictions as the inhabitants thereof respectively, provided that such restrictions shall not extend so far as to prevent the removal of property imported into any State, to any other State, of which the owner is an inhabitant;

If any person guilty of, or charged with, treason, felony, or other high misdemeanor in any State, shall flee from justice, and be found in any of the United States, he shall, upon demand of the Governor or executive power of the State from which he fled, be delivered up and removed to the State having jurisdiction of his offense.

Article V. No State shall be represented in Congress by less than two, nor more than seven members; and no person shall be capable of being a delegate for more than three years in any term of six years; nor shall any person, being a delegate, be capable of holding any office under the United States, for which he, or another for his benefit, receives any salary, fees or emolument of any kind.

ASAP - Historical Documents

Author - What do we know about the author?  How does this shape the document?

Setting - What is the context?  What was happening during this time that might have influenced the author?

Audience - Who was this intended for?  How might this have shaped the language of the document?

Purpose -  What did the author hope the document would accomplish?

Activity #2:  AoC - Going Deeper

Now that you have finished your ASAP analysis of the Articles of Confederation, work with a partner to answer the following questions in your notebook.  Be prepared to share your answers with your classmates.

1.  Where can you find evidence of the idea of "popular sovereignty" in the excerpts above?  Quote them.

2.  Where can you find evidence of the ideas and complaints found in the Declaration of Independence in the excerpts above?  Quote them.

3.  Where can you find evidence of "representative democracy" in the excerpts above?  Quote them.

Activity #3:  N-50 - Representative Democracy

LD:

SD:

Examples:

Non-Examples:

Related Terms:

Close:  AP Classroom Sign-up and Quiz