The Articles of Confederationfter independence was declared, each colonybecame a separate and independent state.

A state is a territory with its own government.

When the Second Continental Congress appointed acommittee to draft the Declaration of Independence,it also appointed a second committee to decide howthe thirteen new states should cooperate. This com-mittee drafted the Articles of Confederation. TheArticles were debated for almost an entire year in theContinental Congress. Then they were sent to thestate legislatures. The Articles of Confederation werefinally approved by all thirteen states in 1781.

A confederation is an association—an organizationof separate states that cooperate together.

The Articles of Confederation created a "league offriendship," to which all thirteen states belonged.

After their experiences with Great Britain, mostAmericans feared giving too much power to thecentral government. Tiey did not want a remote

authority taxing them or threatening their rights, asthe British government had done.

The Articles of Confederation therefore left mostgovernmental powers in the hands of the states. TheArticles set up a loose association in which the thir-teen states could cooperate, especially in dealing withforeign affairs (relations with other countries). Thisassociation had a "Congress," which was the onlybranch of the national government. There was nonational executive or national court system.

The ConfederationCongress was actuallya council, made up ofthe representatives ofthirteen powerful,independent states.Each state had onevote in Congress.

Page I from theArticles of Confederation

Provisions of the Articles of Confederation

1. The new Confederation was to be known asthe "United States of America."

2. Each state was to remain generally sovereign (tohavefinal authority). The states kept all govern-ing powers except those few given exclusively(only) to the Confederation Congress.

3. The Congress of the Confederation was tomeet every year. Each state was to send fromtwo to seven delegates to the Congress. Eachstate delegation had one vote in Congress.All states, whatever their size, thus had equalrepresentation.

5. Congress was given the exclusive powerto declare war, to exchange ambassadors

with foreign states, to enter into treaties andalliances, to set weights and measurements,to resolve disputes between states, to establishpost offices, and to regulate relations withIndian tribes not found within one state. Thesepowers could only be exercised by Congressand not by the states.

6. Congress could also borrow money, and buildand equip a navy.

7. Congress had the power to direct its own army.However, it could not raise its own troops:these were contributed by the states.

8. All the expenses of the Confederation werepaid from a general fund. State legislatures

Chapter 3 1 The Story of Our Constitution 49

contributed to this fund. Congress could notdirectly tax citizens on its own.

9. The approval of nine states was needed to passany new law in Congress.

10. All thirteen states had to agree to any changesin the Articles of Confederation.

Individual state governments remained more pow-erful than the central government. For example,states could print their own money. They could taxgoods brought from other states. Only the state gov-ernments could collect taxes and raise troops. TheCongress of the Confederation relied on contribu-tions from the states to pay its expenses, yet had nopower to force states to contribute. Each state gov-ernment had its own executive and courts, while theConfederation lacked both of these. Could such agovernment work?

ConfederationCongress

Governments

The balance of power under the Articles of Confederation

Main Weaknesses of theNational Government under theArticles of Confederation1.

2.

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5.

6.

Congress had no power to tax.Congress had no power to raise its own troops.Congress had no power to regulate trade.Congress had no power to enforce its laws.There was no national court system.There was no national executive to providecentral leadership.

The Active Citizen1. Imagine a family with two children. One child is given allowance money to spend each week.

The second child is told to ask the first child for money. Which child is likely to become morepowerful in this relationship? Why? Write a short paragraph explaining your answer.

2. How did the experience of British rule affect the authors of the Articles of Confederation?3. Which power of the Confederation Congress do you think was the most important one? Explain

your answer.

America under the Articles of Confederation

Once the Articles of Confederation were approved in1781, the Continental Congress was replaced by theConfederation Congress. These were critical yearswhen it was unclear whether the former colonieswould survive as independent, democratic states.

The Confederation Congress had several majoraccomplishments. It negotiated the peace treaty

with Great Britain that ended the American Revolu-tion. It also created an orderly procedure for newterritories to be admitted into the United States asstates. During these years, the population of theUnited States expanded rapidly.

Nevertheless, serious problems soon arose. First,there were problems with foreign nations. The

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