Articles of Confederation Readings for Elementary Students

Option A

Lexile: 980
Words: 508
Vocabulary: confederation, confederacy, coin, executive, tyranny, endanger, rebellion, thirteen, revision, revise

As the American Revolution ended, the new United States faced many challenges. The colonies had united against King George III and parliament. Because of this, disagreements between states were small. But after the Revolution, state issues grew larger. America needed a united government.

Map of the U.S. in 1790. This map shows the United States soon after it became independent from Britain.
(source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Foundation_of_the_American_Government_by_Henry_Hintermeister.jpg)

The thirteen states’ leaders wanted to escape Great Britain’s tyranny or total rule. They sought to form a different kind of government. A government like this did not exist at the time. This government would respect the principles of the Declaration of Independence. It would protect people’s rights instead of violating them. This government would defend natural rights, have consent of the governed, follow a written constitution, and have a congress leading rather than a king.

From 1776 to 1777, Congress members planned this government. Approval from all 13 states took about four more years. In 1781, the Articles of Confederation established America’s first national government. This was the same year as the American Revolution’s last major battle. In this confederation, the national government was weak. State governments had most of the authority. They were afraid of a central government abusing its power and endangering liberty.

Title Page of the Articles of Confederation. The Articles of Confederation is a long document. It has a title page, just like a book.
(source: https://www.loc.gov/resource/cph.3b07209/)

The Articles created a group of independent states with a central government having limited power. It formed a confederacy, or friendship of states, not a nation. Each state was independent but shared some powers with the United States Congress. They agreed to cooperate with other confederacy states. With approval from 9 of 13 states, the Confederation Congress could coin money and set its value. States had to honor each other’s legal papers and court rulings. States had to send criminals back to the place of their crime. All U.S. citizens should have equal rights in every state.

Shays’ rebellion showed the need for a stronger federal government. A man named Daniel Shays organized a group of angry farmers and former revolutionary soldiers. They attacked court buildings to protest. They wanted help from the government to pay their debts. Some of Shays’ mob were killed and injured. Shays’ rebellion showed the weakness of the Articles of Confederation   Some Americans now thought the Articles should be revised.

To change the Articles, every state had to agree. There was no national executive or court system. The Confederation Congress struggled to collect money, form an army, and manage trade between states. By the mid-1780s, concerns over the Articles grew. A key issue was the weak central government’s inability to set national trade and tax laws. The states were competing instead of working together. Because of these problems, Charles Pinckney and others suggested revising the Articles in 1786. This led to a plan for revision by James Madison at the 1787 Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia.

Foundations of American Government by Henry Hintermeister. This painting shows many famous faces like Benjamin Franklin in a room signing government documents.
(source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Foundation_of_the_American_Government_by_Henry_Hintermeister.jpg)

The Articles helped during the American Revolution and achieved certain successes like the Paris Peace Treaty of 1783 ending the Revolutionary war and the Northwest Ordinance creating new states out West. However, the Articles had major flaws. The government could not raise money or enforce laws consistently. In 1788, the current United States Constitution replaced the Articles. This new constitution fixed these issues and made the national government more effective.

Option B 

Lexile: 730
Word Count: 219
Vocabulary: thirteen, colony, protest, farmer, weak, angry, independent, fix, British, collect

After the American Revolution, the new United States had many problems. Before, the colonies worked together against King George III. But after the war, each state had its own problems. They needed a strong government to run the growing country.

Map of the U.S. in 1790. This map shows the United States soon after it became independent from Britain.
(source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Foundation_of_the_American_Government_by_Henry_Hintermeister.jpg)

The leaders of the thirteen states wanted freedom from British rule. They wanted a new kind of government, one that followed the Declaration of Independence. This government would protect people’s rights and have a Congress, not a king. States worried a strong government might hurt their freedom.

From 1776 to 1777, Congress planned this new government. It took four more years for all 13 states to agree. In 1781, they made the Articles of Confederation. The Articles made a group of independent states with a weak central government. States shared some power with Congress and agreed to help each other.

Title Page of the Articles of Confederation. The Articles of Confederation is a long document. It has a title page, just like a book.
(source: https://www.loc.gov/resource/cph.3b07209/)

But there were problems. Shays’ Rebellion showed that a stronger government was needed.  It was an event where angry farmers and soldiers protested and caused trouble. It showed the government created by the Articles of Confederation was not strong enough to keep order in the colonies.

Foundations of American Government by Henry Hintermeister. This painting shows many famous faces like Benjamin Franklin in a room signing government documents.
(source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Foundation_of_the_American_Government_by_Henry_Hintermeister.jpg)

To change the Articles, every state had to agree. But this was hard. The government couldn’t collect money or make laws work well. So, in 1788, they made a new plan, the United States Constitution. This fixed the problems and made the government stronger.