Educator Resources for Articles of Confederation

Ever wonder how the United States was governed before the Constitution was written? Well, wonder no more. In this BrainPOP movie, you'll learn about the Articles of Confederation, the 1777 document that laid out the structure and function of the very first U.S. Government. Find out why the struggle against Great Britain led the Founding Fathers to avoid a strong national government, and create a "league of friendship" between independent states. Discover the troubles caused by the government's inability to enforce laws, regulate interstate trade, and even defend its borders. Finally, learn how an uprising called Shays' Rebellion encouraged the Founding Fathers to scrap the Articles and draft the Constitution to replace it.