Lesson 8: What Were the Articles of Confederation, and Why Did Some Founders Want to Change Them?

Lesson Objectives

When you have finished this lesson, you should  be able to

• describe the United States’ first national constitution, the Articles of Confederation,
• explain why some people thought the government under the Articles of Confederation was not strong enough, and
• evaluate, take, and defend positions on the strengths and weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, the significance of the Northwest Ordinance, and Americans’ mistrust of a strong national government.