Power Analysis

This worksheet helps students in Grades 6 and 7 strengthen primary-source literacy, historical reasoning, evidence-based writing, and civic understanding by analyzing two contrasting historical documents. Students read one excerpt from the Articles of Confederation and another from a letter written by George Washington to James Madison, then answer analytical questions that compare concerns about national power, money collection, unity, and the effectiveness of early government.

Academic Focus

• Primary Source Interpretation (Grades 6-7) – Students analyze original historical documents to determine author perspective and purpose.
• Evaluating Government Strengths and Weaknesses – Learners examine how limited national authority affected finances, unity, and leadership.
• Evidence-Based Written Responses – Students support conclusions using direct evidence from both texts.
• Causes of the Constitutional Convention – The activity clarifies why early leaders believed reform was necessary.

Instructional Benefits

• Teacher-Created Resource – Designed by educators to align with middle school social studies, civics, and ELA standards.
• Dual-Source Analysis – Comparing two documents strengthens critical thinking and synthesis skills.
• Guided Analytical Questions – Prompts help students focus on power, authority, and historical consequences.
• Flexible Use – Ideal for close reading lessons, assessments, document-based practice, or small-group discussion.
• Low-Prep Printable – Ready for classroom or homeschool use.

This Power Analysis worksheet helps students understand how early American leaders recognized the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation. By working with primary sources and writing evidence-based responses, learners deepen comprehension of early U.S. governance and gain clearer insight into why the Constitutional Convention became necessary.

This worksheet is part of our Articles of Confederation Worksheets collection.