United States Constitution
Session 5: Correcting Weaknesses in the Articles of Confederation

Materials

• Class textbook
• United States Constitution (found in most textbooks; downloadable at <http://www.besthistorysites.net/USHistory_Constitution.shtml>)
• Computer with Internet access

Instructional Activities

1. Display the following prompt on the board or overhead:
   
   In your opinion, is the United States government too strong, too weak, or just about right? Support your opinion with examples from recent history.
   
   After students have had a few minutes to write their opinions, let them share their responses with each other in pairs and then share with the whole class.
   
   
2. Have students use a copy of the United States Constitution (annotated version found in the appendix of most textbooks) to construct a brief chart that illustrates the focus of each article.
   
   
3. For each identified weakness in the Articles of Confederation listed below, have the students identify the article, section, and clause in the Constitution that addressed the weakness. The weaknesses students should examine are the following:
   •    There was only a legislature — no executive or judicial branch.
   •    Nine of the 13 states had to approve legislation for it to take effect.
   •    A unanimous vote was required to amend the Articles.
   •    The government under the Articles of Confederation had no power to regulate commerce or collect taxes to run the government.
   •    Power was retained by the states — the central government had little power to control state actions.

Teacher Key

• No executive or judicial branch — solved by the creation of Articles II and III
• Nine states required to pass legislation — solved in Article I, section 7
• Unanimous vote required for amendment — solved in Article V
• No power to regulate commerce or collect taxes — solved by Article I, section 8
• Power retained by states — solved by Article I, section 8, elastic clause