In 1777, the Continental congress drafted the first written constitution for the United States, the Articles of Confederation. Aiming to limit governmental power at the national level, it established a government that was not only decentralized, but weak and inefficient as well. With mounting economic troubles underscored by Shay’s Rebellion, it was time for a new constitution, one that would create a government that could meet the challenges facing the young nation.
INSTRUCTIONS:
This writing assignment will require students to compare and contrast the two primary source documents which are linked below.
- Review the relevant content in Chapter 7.
- Read the following documents: the Articles of ConfederationLinks to an external site. and the U.S. ConstitutionLinks to an external site..
- Each of the documents is directly linked above and is can also be found at The Avalon ProjectLinks to an external site. site.
As you read each document, you should consider the following questions and identify the relevant information that answers each one. These questions should be used to analyze and discuss the documents. All arguments must be supported by evidence from each of the documents.
PREPARE AND SUBMIT:
Write a well-organized essay, a minimum of 700 words (but not limited to), including supporting details from the documents/textbook/other sources, in which you analyze and discuss the material that has been assigned by addressing the following question:
Compare and contrast the Articles of Confederation and the United States Constitution. Which weaknesses of the Articles of the Confederation did the U.S. Constitution address and how?
Reminders
- Paragraphs in an essay are not numbered. Any questions that are associated with an assigned reading are there to serve as a guide for your discussion.
- Your discussion should incorporate all of the information from the documents and or textbook, and outside sources as one essay.
- Students are required to research and incorporate into their discussions additional sources that relate to the content. Recommendations can be found at the end of the textbook chapter in Additional Reading.
- All statements must be supported and all sources must be identified and cited, and included in your reference list. This also applies to the textbook. Failure to do so constitutes Plagiarism, and the college has strict policies and penalties for failure to comply. Under the Resources, you will find links to sites that review how to format a paper or essay. I recommend that students use APA or Chicago Style to format their essays. Students should ask their instructor which format style they prefer you to use.
- Proofread your work. Make sure that you have looked for all of the spelling and grammatical errors and corrected them, and that you have organized your work into coherent paragraphs.
- Prepare the assignment as a Word Document, double-spaced, and using a standard font of 12 points.
- Submit it in the “First Required Writing Assignment (Submit Here) ” link as an ATTACHMENT. Any work that is submitted directly into the box will be graded as a 0.
Point Value: 100
Grading Criteria:
- Analysis and discussion (60%)
- Support for discussion (30%)
- Organization (10%)
Reminder: All written work must comply with standard English rules, such as proper capitalization, grammar, and spelling. The assignment must be submitted by the deadline listed on the calendar.
Note: Even though you will see a statement giving you the option of copy/paste or file attachment, please disregard this statement. You are required to attach the assignment in MS Word format.