Virginia Experience Civics & Economics Social Studies

Fact or Opinion
Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation established the first form of national government for the newly
independent states. Because Americans had just fought to break away from being ruled by a
powerful government, they wanted to avoid creating a powerful government. So, the Articles created
a weak central government. Instead, it maintained that major powers resided with individual
states. However, the central government ended up being too weak to be effective. For example, the
central government had no power to tax or enforce laws. These limits to the powers of the central
government led to the writing of the Constitution of the United States.
Discuss It
Pretend the U.S. Constitution was never created, and the Articles of Confederation governed
the country. How do you think things would have worked out between the national government
and the states? How would we be governed today?
Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom
The Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom allowed freedom of religious beliefs and opinions. It was
written by Thomas Jefferson and adopted by the Virginia Legislature in 1786. This statute made a
powerful case for freedom of religion that was influential in the writing of the First Amendment to
the U.S. Constitution. The statute said Virginians were free to worship as they pleased and could not
be forced to attend any particular church or to support one with their taxes. Jefferson also used the
statute to express his philosophies about natural rights, freedom of conscience, and sovereignty of
the people.
The Virginia Declaration of Rights
The Virginia Declaration of Rights was passed by the General Assembly in 1776 a few weeks before
Thomas Jefferson started drafting the Declaration of Independence. The Virginia Declaration was
written primarily by George Mason, and it called for American independence from England. It served
as a model for the Bill of Rights in the U.S. Constitution and for the Bills of Rights in several other
state constitutions. Some historians also credit the Virginia Declaration with influencing the famous
French Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen.
Sample
Read each statement, and write F if it is a Fact or O if it is an Opinion.
____ 1. American constitutional government is founded on ideas expressed in earlier documents.
____ 2. The American constitutional government is the best government in the world.
____ 3. The U.S. Constitution replaced the Articles of Confederation.
____ 4. The U.S. Constitution establishes the structure of the United States government.
____ 5. The United States government is a good example for other governments to follow.
____ 6. Documents that protected the rights of Virginians helped define and shape the U.S. Constitution,
including the Bill of Rights.
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