The Articles of Confederation
Part 1: The Basic Rights
The American colonies were in the middle of a war when they declared themselves independent from Great
Britain. By the end of 1776, just a few short months after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, 10 of
the 13 colonies had their own constitutions. Four years later, they all did.
The colonists who wrote these constitutions thought it very important that they have written documents. The
British constitution wasn't written down, so British laws could be interpreted any way the judges saw fit. The
American colonists wanted the powers of the government to be in writing, so everyone would know what they
were.
The colonists also wanted their individual and natural rights protected. They thought that the British
government didn't respect what they saw as natural rights (such as "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness").
To this end, most state constitutions included a bill of rights to protect these natural and individual rights. This
bill of rights included many of the rights guaranteed by the current Bill of Rights, including:
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freedom of speech
freedom of religion
freedom of the press
trial by jury
search warrant for property searches
These constitutions also restricted the power of government. Fearful of another king, the American
colonists wanted a government that would serve them, not the other way around.
Part 2: The Power of the States
This distrust of the power of the government made for very weak colonial governments. And as the war went
on, the Americans realized that they needed some form of central government to deal with things like paying
soldiers and negotiating with other countries. The result was the Articles of Confederation.
Approved in 1777, the Articles established a Confederation government, which was a fancy way of saying that
the central government didn't have a whole lot of power. The national legislature was the Confederation
Congress. Each state could send from two to seven delegates, but each state also had only one vote. Even if
New York sent seven delegates, they all together had only one vote. (So they had to agree on what they were
voting for or against.)
Any important decision had to be approved by 9 of the 13 states. This included laws, treaties, and payment for
soldiers. Here is a breakdown of the powers granted and denied the Confederation government:
Powers Granted
Power Denied
declare war and make peace
executive branch
maintain an army and navy
raising taxes
make treaties with other countries stop states from printing their own money
borrow money
regulate trade with other countries or between states
establish a postal service
court system
Part 3: The First National Government
To us today, viewed through the looking glass of the Constitution, these look like trouble. How can a central
government hope to survive if it can't raise taxes or doesn't even have a court system?
But to the American colonists of 1777, this was a giant step forward. They were willing to put some of their
trust in the hands of a national government, but they also wanted the power to keep that government in check
and even dissolve it, if they thought it was necessary.
Besides, they were in the middle of a war. It wasn't until 1781 that the Articles of Confederation was finally
adopted. By that time, the Revolutionary War was almost over.
Despite what we today think are their glaring weaknesses, the Articles established the first national government
for the new nation, the United States of America. In light of the terrible treatment the American people had
received so very recently, this new government was a welcome sight indeed.
Answer the questions below based on the reading.
1. Why did the American colonists want the powers of government to be in writing?
2. What are five rights that state constitutions protected?
3. How many votes did each state get under the Articles of Confederation?
4. How many states had to approve a law for it to be passed by the Congress?
5. Why did the colonists welcome the new government of the Articles of Confederation?