10 THE NEW NATION THE ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION THE FIRST CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES When the United States declared its independence in July 1776 the only institution acting as a central govern ment was the Continental Congress The states were operating under old colonial charters Thus at the same time the united colonies were fighting for indepen dence they were faced with the need to improvise a permanent national government and to formulate state constitutions The states drew up and adopted their own constitutions between 1777 and 1780 The Second Continental Congress had begun work ing on a plan for national government in June 1776 A committee composed of one delegate from each state presented the first draft of a national constitution on July 12 1776 just eight days after the Declaration of Independence was signed Strong differences of opin ion among the 13 states about a variety of issues kept debate going for more than a year before the new con stitution known as the Articles of Confederation was submitted to the states for approval The first aim of the Articles was to give Congress the powers required to win the war But the citizens realized that in peacetime they would have to continue working together They would have to defend their frontiers and protect their trading vessels They needed
A NEW NATION ARISES 11 This is the first page of a 1777 copy of the Articles of Confederation the first constitution of the United States The document described this initial union of the states as a firm league of friendship
12 THE NEW NATION a common postal service and diplomats abroad So the Articles created a perpetual union not merely a war alliance and declared that the name of the nation should be the United States of America The main problem in drafting the Articles was that of dividing the powers of government between the states and Congress Britain had formerly supplied the navy the postal service the military and the diplomatic agencies for America Accordingly the Articles gave Congress the power to raise and maintain an army and a navy to make war and peace to negotiate treaties to fix standards of coinage and of weights and measures and to provide a postal service On the other hand the patriot leaders had objected to Britain’s claims that Parliament could tax the colo nies regulate their trade and currency interfere in their local concerns and manage relations with the Indians Therefore the Articles did not allow Congress any con trol over the domestic affairs of the states Nor could it levy taxes it could only ask the states for funds Congress could make commercial treaties and also superintend Indian affairs if these did not conflict with state laws Each of the 13 states was to have only one vote in Congress though it might send from two to seven del egates and nine of the 13 votes were required before Congress could act The enforcement of all laws and the administration of justice were left to the states The Articles could be changed only by unanimous vote of the Confederation Any power not specifically granted to Congress was reserved to the states
A NEW NATION ARISES 13 STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF CONFEDERATION The Articles were adopted by Congress on November 15 1777 and submitted to the states for ratification The smaller states especially Maryland objected to the claims of Virginia Massachusetts the Carolinas Georgia New York and Connecticut to the lands west of the Appalachians Maryland felt that if these states had all the land they claimed they might become too powerful Only when the states with western claims agreed to turn over these lands to Congress for the use of all the states would A 1784 map of the United States shows the 13 American colonies offset in color in contrast to the western frontier which would eventually be settled and split up into new states
