Teacher Resources
York
Inquiry Question
Why would founders who had just fought for national independence create a government too weak to govern effectively?
Primary Sources
What Teachers and Students Use
Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union
PRIMARY · National Archives and Records Administration
5 analysis prompts
Journals of the Continental Congress: York Period (September 1777-June 1778)
PRIMARY · Library of Congress
5 analysis prompts
The Articles of Confederation: An Interpretation of the Social-Constitutional History of the American Revolution
SECONDARY · University of Wisconsin Press (Merrill Jensen)
5 analysis prompts
Colonial Complex: York, Pennsylvania -- Revolutionary War Heritage
INSTITUTIONAL · York County Heritage Trust
5 analysis prompts
York County Heritage Trust: Revolutionary War Collections
INSTITUTIONAL · York County Heritage Trust
5 analysis prompts
Downloads
Ready to Print
Student packet, teacher guide with answer key, and quiz — each formatted for classroom printing.
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Lesson Plan
In the Classroom
Learning Objectives
- 1Describe the structure of government created by the Articles of Confederation
- 2Explain why the founders deliberately created a weak central government in 1777
- 3Identify specific failures of the Articles that emerged between 1781 and 1787
- 4Analyze the relationship between the Articles and the U.S. Constitution as a problem-solution pair
Explore Further
York in the Knowledge Graph
The lesson packet draws from these pages. Use them to extend the lesson or give students primary source context.
Comparative Study
Connected Towns
The corroborate prompts in the student packet point to these towns. Teachers can assign cross-town comparisons.
Germantown
SHARED EVENT
York served as the Continental Congress's refuge after the British occupied Philadelphia following the Battle of Germantown in October 1777 — Germantown's fall directly caused Congress to relocate to York.
Philadelphia
SHARED EVENT
Congress fled to York when the British captured Philadelphia.
Carlisle
GEOGRAPHIC PROXIMITY
Interior Pennsylvania towns that maintained patriot government and supplied the army.
Assessment
York in the American Revolution
Answer the following questions based on our study of Revolutionary history. · 5 questions · Answer key in Teacher Guide PDF
What makes York significant in Revolutionary history?
multiple choice
Primary sources are documents or objects created during the time period being studied.
true false
Name one event that occurred in York during the Revolutionary period and explain its significance.
short answer
+ 2 more in the full quiz PDF
Ready to Print?
All three documents below — student packet, teacher guide, and quiz — are formatted for letter-size classroom printing.