Articles of Confederation


Page I of the Articles of Confederation

Created: November 15, 1777
Ratified: February 2, 1781
Date effective: March 1, 1781
Superseded: March 4, 1789, by the United States Constitution
Location: National Archives
Author(s): Continental Congress
Signatories: Continental Congress
Purpose: First constitution for the United States

The Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union was an agreement among the 13 original states of the United States of America that served as its first frame of government. It was approved after much debate (between July 1776 and November 1777) by the Second Continental Congress on November 15, 1777, and sent to the states for ratification. The Articles of Confederation came into force on March 1, 1781, after ratification by all the states. A guiding principle of the Articles was to preserve the independence and sovereignty of the states. The weak central government established by the Articles received only those powers which the former colonies had recognized as belonging to king and parliament.

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Ratification
The Articles of Confederation was submitted to the states for ratification in late November 1777. The first state to ratify was Virginia on December 16, 1777; 12 states had ratified the Articles by February 1779, 14 months into the process. The lone holdout, Maryland, refused to go along until the landed states, especially Virginia, had indicated they were prepared to cede their claims west of the Ohio River to the Union. It would be two years before the Maryland General Assembly became satisfied that the various states would follow through, and voted to ratify. During this time, Congress observed the Articles as its de facto frame of government. Maryland finally ratified the Articles on February 2, 1781. Congress was informed of Maryland's assent on March 1, and officially proclaimed the Articles of Confederation to be the law of the land.

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Signers
The signers and the states they represented were:

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Virginia
• Richard Henry Lee
• John Banister
• Thomas Adams
• John Harvie
• Francis Lightfoot Lee

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