After the American colonies declared their independence from Britain, they needed to establish their own government. The first constitution for the new nation was the Articles of Confederation, officially titled as Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union. It was this document which created the federation known as the United States of America.
In preparation to teaching further lessons in the history of the U.S., especially Revolutionary-era history, an understanding of the Articles of Confederation is key. Students may be aware of the Articles of Confederation or they may have no knowledge of the fact that our current constitution was not our first and only constitution. Either begin by seeing what they already know via discussion or begin by teaching the basic facts of the Articles of Confederation.
Introducing the Articles of Confederation
On the first day of the lesson, present some important historical information regarding the Articles of Confederation. They were written by the Second Continental Congress, who began to draft them in June of 1776 and sent them for ratification by the states in November of 1777. On June 21, 1788, the Articles were replaced by the United States Constitution.
