Articles of Confederation: Resources

The official government archive page for the Articles of Confederation—with links to the transcript and other documents.

The makers of endless documentaries about Hitler and UFOs provide a solid overview of the how the early American government came to be. (How did Thomas Jefferson convince Virginia and Maryland to ratify the Articles of Confederation? Aliens.)

It's a musical about the Continental Congress—watch Thomas Jefferson spontaneously burst into song.

This animated film prominently features John Dickinson, whom you don't hear from in most Revolutionary War movies.

You don't get much closer than this: read Jefferson's take on the Articles from his autobiography, via Yale University's Avalon project.

The University of Wisconsin History Department has compiled a list of all the revision efforts leading up to the Constitutional Convention.

Check out the How it Happens channel for a short and sweet primer; the channel also has quick-hit videos on the Constitution and other U.S. History Topics.

For more on the economic problems created by the Articles of Confederation, see this short excerpt from the History Channel documentary on the subject, complete with dramatic music, reenactments, and a guy who looks remarkably like Woody Harrelson (at 4:58).

Learn Out Loud presents a podcast overview of America's founding documents—good for learning about the powers of the Confederation Congress while running on the treadmill.

You can actually read the handwriting on this original copy of the Articles from Our Documents. They made the first "T" really, really big.

The LOC website shows one of the copies that was printed and distributed to the various states. Imagine getting one of these in the mail.