On this day in history: the Articles of Confederation were approved (1777)

On this day in history, the Articles of Confederation were approved in 1777 by the Second Continental Congress and sent to each colony for ratification. It was an agreement among the colonies and served as the new nations first constitution. The guiding principle was to preserve the independence and sovereignty of each state with a weak central government. The idea was that it is was a league of friendship. It was officially ratified on March 1, 1781 as the Revolutionary War was coming to a close with victory coming at Yorktown in October. When Shay’s Rebellion occurred in August 1786-June 1787, the weaknesses of the Articles were apparent, and the Constitutional Convention convened on May 25, 1787 to address its issues.

The Articles of Confederation established a firm league among the colonies now known as free and independent states. It was an international agreement to set up the central institutions to conduct vital domestic and foreign affairs. On June 12, 1776, a committee of 13 was chosen to draft a constitution for the new nation they wanted to create. The Articles of Confederation were presented to the Continental Congress on July 12, 1776. Long debates ensued on state sovereignty and the powers given to Congress. Questions on how to establish a judiciary, western land claims and voting procedures and general questions on how to conduct day to day business. Eventually a consensus was achieved by allowing each state to retain its sovereignty, the power of western land claims was given to the states, and established a unicameral legislature with limited powers. The final draft would be approved on November 15, 1777.

The Articles consist of a preamble, 13 articles, a conclusion, and a signatory section. Each individual article set rules for current and future operations of the central government. Here is a summarized version of each article:

1.  Establishes the country’s new name as the United State of America.

2. Asserts the sovereignty of each state.

3. Declares the purpose of the Confederation as a “firm league of friendship” for the common defense, security of liberties and mutual and general well-being.

4. Establishes equal treatment and freedom of movement for free residents of each state as well as extradition powers for fugitives to be returned to the state of their crimes.

5. Allocates one vote per state in the Congress of the Confederation and each state was entitled to a delegation of 2-7 members who were appointed by their state’s legislatures for service of no more than 3 of 6 years.

6. The power to declare war is allocated to the Congress as well as the power to conduct foreign political or commercial relationships. While each state is required to keep ready a well-trained, disciplined, and equipped militia.

7. State legislatures are assigned military ranks of Colonel and below.

8. Government expenditures will be paid with funds raised by the state legislatures.

9. Details the specific powers and functions of the Congress including war powers, foreign powers, appointed judges to the courts, appointed a president to serve no longer than 1 year per a 3-year Congressional term.

10. When the Congress is in recess, nine states are needed to form a committee to execute any of the congressional powers.

11. No new states shall be admitted without the consent of nine states.

12. Confederations will honor all bills of credit incurred, monies borrowed, and debts contracted by Congress before the Articles’ existence.

13. The Articles can be altered only by Congressional approach and ratification of the state legislatures.

 After the Articles were ratified by the states on March 1, 1781, it wasn’t long until its weaknesses were exposed. After the war, a debt crisis rose among the citizens in Massachusetts and the state’s increased efforts to collect taxes on both individuals and their trades. With no relief in sight, war veteran and farmer Daniel Shays led 4,000 men to protest the economic and civil rights injustices. On August 29, 1787, Shay led an armed march on the federal Springfield Armory to seize the weaponry and overthrown the government. It was unsuccessful but other skirmishes would follow until the rebellion was stopped by the Massachusetts State militia and a privately funded local militia. At the time of the rebellion, it weakness of the Articles were apparent, and it was widely debated among the Federalists and the Antifederalists about revisions to the Articles. It has been widely taught that Shays’ Rebellion was the catalyst for the Constitutional Convention and the creation of the Constitution we know today; however, many scholars still debate whether the rebellion really had an influence on the creation of the Constitution and its ratification.

In conclusion, the Articles of Confederation was our nation’s first attempt at a constitution. While it has its weaknesses and was thrown out in favor for the current Constitution, the Articles was a start for a community who know what they wanted to avoid in a government and the liberty they wanted to protect. From identifying the powers of Congress and the country’s leaders, the Articles of Confederation served as the starting point for a new nation. Its greatest achievement was to bring the 13 colonies together to form one nation. Whether Shays’ Rebellion was the catalyst to throw out the Articles, or just the final straw, it influenced the creation of the new US Constitution. Today, we remember the Articles of Confederation.