Articles of Confederation Weaknesses

In this activity, students will create a spider map that reflects the weaknesses of America’s first government under the Articles of Confederation. The spider map should include what the student believes are the top three flaws or weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation. For each reason, students should include a title, a description, and a representation of the reason selected. This activity can be used as a supplement or even replacement for a research paper that asks students to answer a prompt related to the evaluation of the Articles of Confederation.

Extended Activity
Students will have the task of defending the Articles of Confederation through a persuasive spider map. This extended activity will allow students to argue either what they believe are the strengths of the Articles of Confederation or the weaknesses of the proposed United States Constitution. Before assigning this activity, teachers may pose the question, “Why would colonists fear a powerful new government?” to the class and use the classroom discussion as a way to introduce this activity.

Student Instructions

Create a storyboard analyzing the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation.

1. Click "Start Assignment".
2. Number each cell (Weakness 1, 2, 3, etc.).
3. In the description, summarize the weakness.
4. Create an illustrating using appropriate scenes, items, and characters.