Book/Printed Material Articles of Confederation.
About this Item
Title
- Articles of Confederation.
Summary
- On June 11, 1776, the Second Continental Congress appointed three committees in response to the Lee Resolution proposing independence for the American colonies. One of these committees, created to determine the form of a confederation of the colonies, was composed of one representative from each colony. John Dickinson, the delegate from Delaware, was the principal writer. Dickinson's draft of the Articles of Confederation named the new country "the United States of America." It also provided for a Congress with representation based on population, and gave to the national government all powers not designated to the states. After considerable debate and alteration, Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation on November 15, 1777. Under the articles, each state retained "every Power...which is not by this confederation expressly delegated to the United States." Each state had one vote in Congress. Instead of forming a strong national government, the states entered into "a firm league of friendship with each other." Because of disputes over representation, voting, and western lands claimed by some states, ratification by all 13 states, necessary to bring the confederation into being, was not completed until March 1, 1781, when Maryland became the last state to ratify.
Names
- Dickinson, John, 1732-1808 Author.
- Second Continental Congress, United States Author.
Created / Published
- [place of publication not identified] : [publisher not identified], 1778-07-09.
Headings
- - United States of America--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia
- - 1778 to 1781
- - Constitutions
Notes
- - Title devised, in English, by Library staff.
- - Original resource extent: 1 document (6 parchment pages).
- - Original resource at: U.S. National Archives and Records Administration.
- - Content in English.
- - Description based on data extracted from World Digital Library, which may be extracted from partner institutions.
Medium
- 1 online resource.
Source Collection
- United States History
Digital Id
Library of Congress Control Number
- 2021667579
Online Format
- compressed data
- image