United States History Student Edition

02 The Articles of Confederation

The Making of a Republic GUIDING QUESTION What kind of government was created by the Articles of Confederation? needed a plan of government that would satisfy all their needs. Would the states be able to work together and still maintain their independence? How would each individual state govern itself? Early State Constitutions As the conflict between Britain and the American colonies grew, the Continental Congress recognized the need for state governments. In May 1776, the Continental Congress asked the states to organize their own governments. Each state would need to adopt a state constitution, or plan of government. By the end of the year, eight states had drafted constitutions. New York and Georgia followed in 1777 and Massachusetts in 1780. As the colonies fought for their independence from Great Britain, they sought to come together under a central government. The 13 states

READING STRATEGY Analyzing Key Ideas and Details As you read, use a diagram like the one shown to identify the powers of the central government under the Articles of Confederation.

Powers of National Government

CAPITALS OF THE UNITED STATES

City

Dates Served as U.S. Capital May 10, 1775 to December 12, 1776 December 20, 1776 to February 27, 1777 March 4, 1777 to September 18, 1777

Philadelphia , Pennsylvania

Baltimore , Maryland

Philadelphia , Pennsylvania Lancaster , Pennsylvania

September 27, 1777 (one day)

York , Pennsylvania

September 30, 1777 to June 27, 1778

Philadelphia , Pennsylvania Princeton , New Jersey

July 2, 1778 to June 21, 1783

June 30, 1783 to November 4, 1783 November 26, 1783 to August 13, 1784 November 1, 1784 to December 24, 1784 January 11, 1785 to August 12, 1790 December 6, 1790 to May 14, 1800

FLORIDA BENCHMARKS

Annapolis , Maryland Trenton , New Jersey

• SS.8.A.1.1 • SS.8.A.1.2 • SS.8.A.3.9 • SS.8.A.3.13 • SS.8.CG.2.4 • SS.8.E.2.2 • SS.8.G.1.2 • SS.8.G.2.1 • SS.8.G.2.3 • SS.8.G.4.4 • ELA.K12.EE.1.1 • ELA.K12.EE.3.1 • ELA.K12.EE.4.1 • ELA.K12.EE.6.1

New York City , New York Philadelphia , Pennsylvania

Washington, D.C.

November 17, 1800 to present

CIVICS CONNECTION Nine different cities served as the capital of the United States during the first few decades after the colonies declared their independence from Britain. 1. Identifying What was the first capital of the United States? 2. Inferring Why do you think the United States had so many different capital cities during the period shown?

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