Grade 7 Humanities: Week of 11/5/2018 Oh, Articles Of Confederation, We Hardly Knew Ye!

Dear Families,

During the past week, students decided what they wanted to say about the weaknesses in The Articles of Confederation. They chose one or several reason(s) for the failure of The Articles and supported the position with their interpretations of the text. Then, working independently or with a partner, they planned a tombstone to remember The Articles of Confederation. The final draft of the tombstone was crafted on colored card stock and we finally laid The Articles to rest in our hallway “cemetery” (just in time for Halloween, no less!). You will have an opportunity to take a “cemetery walk” if you are able to join us for Parent-Teacher Conferences on November 15th!

The Articles of Confederation established colonial government before The Constitution. The document was drafted and ratified before The Revolutionary War even ended. The Articles were full of weaknesses that seem really obvious to us armchair historians of 2018 😉 — there were problems with passing laws, raising taxes, currency issues (each state had its own currency!) and other conflicts among the states.

The Articles, and later, The Constitution did not lead to any kind of radical social change. In the years following The Revolution, the goal was to be free of  British rule, with a viable government that was effective at law making and passage, taxation, and national currency establishment. Marginalized groups continued to be marginalized or worse, forgotten. A strong central government that expanded its powers and actually impacted people’s lives would have to wait until the 19th and 20th centuries.

Yours,

Ms. Sacilotto

Saying good-bye to The Articles . . .

Buddy Classes: It was impossible to tell who loved Buddy Reading more, the kindergarten or the 7th grade . . .

“It’s not tyranny we desire; it’s a just, limited, federal government.”

–Alexander Hamilton