ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION.

AND PERPETUAL UNION BETWEEN THE STATES.

(Adopted by the Congress of the United States November 15, 1777, and submitted for ratification to the several states. Ratification consummated and proclaimed March 1, 1781.)

Preamble.

SUMMARY.

Article 1. Style of Confederacy.

Art. 2. Each state retains all powers not expressly delegated to congress. Art. 3. Obligations and purposes of the league of the states.

Art. 4. Freedom of intercourse between the states-surrender of fugitives from justice-records, acts and judicial proceedings of courts to be received with full faith and credit by other states.

Art. 5. Congress how organized and maintained-each state to have one vote-privileges of delegates.

Art. 6. No state may send embassies or make treaties-persons holding office not to accept presents, emoluments or titles from foreign statesnor shall titles of nobility be granted-no two or more states to make treaties without consent of congress-no state duties to interfere with foreign treaties-restriction upon naval armaments and military forcesmilitia-arms and munitions-war powers limited and defined.

Art. 7. Military appointments.

Art. 8. Equalization of war charges and expenses for the common defense-based upon the value of land and improvements thereon-taxes to be levied by states

Art. 9. Powers of conggress-declaring peace and war-holding treaties -captures and prizes-letters of marque and reprisal-courts for trial of piracies and felonies on high seas-appeals in cases of capture-differences between states-mode of choosing commissioners or judges-private right of soil claimed under two or more states-coininng money-weights and measures-Indian affairs-post routes-army-navy-committee of the states -other committees-civil officers-president-public expenses-borrowing money-bills of credit-land and naval forces-quotas based upon a census -states to raise and equip men at expense of United States-enumeration of measures requiring the assent of a majority of the states-adjournments of congress-journals-copies of proceedings to be furnished to states if desired.

Art. 10.

Powers of the committee of the states.

Art. 11. Canada allowed to join the Union-other colonies to require the assent of nine states.

Art. 12. United States pledged to payment of bills of credit and borrowed moneys.

Art. 13. States bound by decisions of congress-union to be perpetualchanges in Articles to be agreed to by every state-ratification and pledge.

TO ALL TO

THE

WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, WE UNDERSIGNED, DELEGATES OF THE STATES AFFIXED TO OUR AMES, SEND GREETING:

Whereas the delegates of the United States of America in congress assembled did, on the fifteenth day of November, in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and seventy-seven, and in the second year of the independence of America, agree to certain articles of confederation and perpetual union between the states of New Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay, Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Connecticutt, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia, in the words following, viz: ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION AND PERPETUAL UNION, BETWEEN THE STATES OF NEW HAMPSHIRE, MASSACHUSETTS BAY, RHODE ISLAND AND PROVIDENCE PLANTATIONS, CONNECTICUTT, NEW YORK, NEW JERSEY, PENNSYLVANIA, DELAWARE, -MARYLAND, VIRGINIA, NORTH CAROLINA, SOUTH CAROLINA

AND GEORGIA:

Article 1. The style of this confederacy shall be "The United States of America."

Art. 2. Each state retains its sovereignty, freedom and independence, and every power, jurisdiction and right which is not by this confederation expressly delegated to the United States, in congress assembled.

Art. 3.-The said states hereby severally enter into a firm league of friendship with each other for their common defense, the security of their liberties, and their mutual and general welfare, binding themselves to assist each other against all force offered to or attacks made upon them, or any of them, on account of religion, soverignty, trade, or any other pretense whatever.

Art. 4. The better to secure and perpetuate mutual friendship and intercourse among the people of the different states in this union, the free inhabitants of each of these states, paupers, vagabonds and fugitives from justice excepted, shall be entitled to all privileges and immunities of free citizens in the several states; and the people of each state shall have free ingress and egress to and from any other state, and shall enjoy therein all the privileges of trade and commerce, subject to the same duties, impositions and restrictions as the inhabitants thereof respectively; provided that such restrictions shall not extend so far as te prevent the removal of property imported into any state to any other state of which the owner is an inhabitant; provided, also, that no imposition, duties or restriction, shall be laid by any state on the property of the United States, or either of them.

If any person guilty of or charged with treason, felony or other high misdemeanor in any state shall flee from justice, and be found in any of the United States, he shall, upon demand of the governor or executive power of the state from which he fled, be delivered up and removed to the state having jurisdiction of his offense.

Full faith and credit shall be given in each of these states to the records, acts and judicial proceedings of the courts and magistrates of every other state.

Art. 5. For the more convenient management of the general interests of the United States, delegates shall be annually appointed, in such manner as the legislature of each state shall direct, to meet in congress on the first Monday in November, in every year, with a power reserved to each state to recall its delegates, or any of them, at any time within ne year, and to send others in their stead for the remanider of the year.

No state shall be represented in congress by less than two, nor by more than seven members; and no person shall be capable of being a delegate for more than three years in any term of six years;

nor shall

any person, being a delegate, be capable of holding any office under the United States for which he, or another for his benefit, receives any salary, fees or emolument of any kind.

Each state shall maintain its own delegates in a meeting of the states, and while they act as members of the committee of these states.

In determining questions in the United States congress assembled, each state shall have one vote.

Freedom of speech and debate in congress shall not be impeached or questioned in any court or place out of congress, and the members of congress shall be protected in their persons from arrests and imprisonments, during the time of their going to and from and attendance on congress, except for treason, felony or breach of the peace.

Art. 6. No state, without the consent of the United States in congress assembled, shall send any embassy to, or receive any embassy from, or enter into any conference, agreement, alliance or treaty with, any king, prince or state; nor shall any person holding any office of profit or trust under the United States, or any of them, accept of any present, emolument, office or title of any kind whatever, from any king, prince or foreign state; nor shall the United States in congress assembled, or any of them, grant any title of nobility.

No two or more states shall enter into any treaty, confederation or alliance whatever between them, without the consent of the United States in congress assembled, specifying accurately the purposes for which the same is to be entered into, and how long it shall continue.

No state shall lay any imposts or duties which may interfere with any stipulations in treaties, entered into by the United States in congress assembled, with any king, prince or state, in pursuance of any treaties already proposed by congress, to the courts of France and Spain.

..No vessels of war shall be kept up in time of peace by any state, except such number as shall be deemed necessary by the United States, in congress assembled, for the defense of such state, or its trade, nor shall any body of forces be kept up by any state, in time of peace, except such number only as in the judgment of the United States, in congress assembled shall be deemed requisite to garrison the forts necessary for the defense of such state, but every state shall always keep up a well regulated and disciplined militia sufficiently armed and accoutred, and shall provide and constantly have ready for use, in public stores, a due number of field-pieces and tents, and a proper quantity of arms, munitions and camp equipage.

No state shall engage in any war, without the consent of the United States in congress assembled, unless such state be actually invaded by enemies, and shall have received certain advice of a resolution being formed by some nation of Indians to invade such state, and the danger is so iniminent as not to admit of a delay, till the United States, in congress assembled, can be consulted; nor shall any state grant commissions to any ships or vessels of war, nor letters of marque or reprisal, except it be after a declaration of war by the United States in congress assembled, and then only against the kingdom or state and the subjects thereof, against which war has been so declared, and under such regulations as shall be established by the United States in congress assembled, unless such state be infested by pirates, in which case vessels of war may be fitted out for that occasion, and kept so long as the danger shall continue, or until the United States, in congress assembled, shall determine otherwise. Art. 7. When land forces are raised by any state for the common defense, all officers of or under the rank of colonel shall be appointed

by the legislature of each state, respectively, by whom such forces shall be raised, or in such manner as such state shall direct, and all vacancies shall be filled up by the state which first made the appointment.

Art. 8. All charges of war, and all other expenses that shall be incurred for the common defense or general welfare, and allowed by the United States in congress assembled, shall be defrayed out of a common treasury, which shall be supplied by the several states, in proportion to the value of all land within each state, granted to, or surveyed for, any person, such as land and the buildings and improvements thereon shall be estimated, according to such mode as the United States in congress assembled shall, from time to time, direct and appoint.

The taxes for paying that proportion shall be laid and levied by the authority and direction of the legislatures of the several states, within the time agreed upon by the United States in congress assembled.

Art. 9. The United States, in congress assembled, shall have the sole and exclusive right and power of determining on peace and war, except in the cases mentioned in the sixth article; of sending and receiving ambassadors, entering into treaties and alliances, provided that no treaty of congress shall be made whereby the legislative power of the respective states shall be restrained from imposing such imposts and duties on foreigners as their own people are subjected to, or from prohibiting the exportation or importation of any species of goods or commodities whatsoever; or establishing rules for deciding, in all cases, what captures on land or water shall be legal, and in what manner prizes taken by land or naval forces in the service of the United States shall be divided or appropriated; of granting letters of marque and reprisal in times of peace; appointing courts for the trial of piracies and felonies committed on the high seas, and establishing courts for receiving and determining finally appeals in all cases of capture; provided that no member of congress shall be appointed a judge of any of the said courts.

The United States, in congress assembled, shall also be the last resort on appeal in all disputes and differences now subsisting or that hereafter may arise, between two or more, states concerning boundary, jurisdiction, or any other cause whatever, which authority shall always be exercised in the manner following: Whenever the legislative or executive authority or lawful agent of any state in controversy with another shall present a petition to congress, stating the matter in question and praying for a hearing, notice thereof shall be given by order of congress to the legislative or executive authority of the other state in controversy, and a day assigned for the appearance of the parties by their lawful agents, who shall then be directed to appoint, by joint consent, commissioners or judges to constitute a court for hearing and determining the matter in question; but, if they cannot agree, congress shall name three persons out of each of the United States, and from the list of such persons each party shall alternately strike out one, the petitioners beginning, until the number shall be reduced to thirteen; and from that number not less than seven or more than nine names, as congress shall direct. shall, in the presence of congress, be drawn out by lot; and the persons whose names shall be so drawn, or any five of them, shall be commissioners or judges to hear and finally determine the controversy, so always as a major part of the judges who shall hear the cause shall agree in the determination; and if either party shall neglect to attend the day appointed, without showing reasons which congress shall judge sufficient; or, being present, shall refuse to strike, the congress shall proceed to nominate three persons out of such state, and the secretary of congress shall strike in behalf of such party absent or refusing; and the judgment and sentence of the court to be appointed in the manner before prescribed shall be final and conclusive and if any of the parties shall refuse to submit to the authority of such court, ог to

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appear or defend their claim or cause, the court shall nevertheless proceed to pronounce sentence, or judgment, which shall in like manner be final and decisive; the judgment or sentence and other proceedings being in either case transmitted to congress, and lodged among the acts of congress, for the security of the parties concerned; provided that every commissioner, before he sits in judgment, shall take an oath, to be administered by one of the judges of the supreme or superior court of the state where the cause shall be tried, "well and truly to hear and determine the matter in question, according to the best of his judgment, without favor, affection, or hope of reward;" provided, also, that no state shall be deprived of territory for the benefit of the United States.

All controversaries concerning the private right of soil, claimed under different grants of two or more states whose jurisdictions, as they may respect such lands, and the states which passed such grants, are adjusted, the said grants or either of them being at the same time claimed to have originated antecedent to such settlement of jurisdiction, shall, on the petition of either party to the congress of the United States, be finally determined, as near as may be, in the same manner as is before prescribed for deciding disputes respecting territorial jurisdiction between different states.

The United States, in congress assembled, shall also have the sole and exclusive right and power of regulating the alloy and value of coin struck by their own authority, or that of the respective states, fixing the standard of weights and measures throughout the United States; regulating the trade and managing all affairs with the Indians, not members of any of the states; provided, that the legislative right of any state, within its own limits, be not infringed or violated; establishing and regulating post cffices from one state to another, throughout all the United States, and exacting such postage on the papers passing through the same as may be requisite to defray the expenses of the said office; appointing all officers of the land forces in the service of the United States, excepting regimental officers; appointing all the officers of the naval forces, and commissioning all officers whatever in the service of the United States; making rules for the government and regulation of the said land and naval forces, and directing their operations.

The United States, in congress assembled, shall have authority to appoint a committee, to sit in the recess of congress, to be denominated "A Committee of the States," and to consist of one delegate from each state; and to appoint such other committees and civil officers as may be necessary for managing the general affairs of the United States under their direction; to appoint one of their number to preside; provided, that no person shall be allowed to serve in the office of president more than one year in any term of three years; to ascertain the necessary sums of money to be raised for the service of the United States, and to appropriate and apply the same for defraying the public expenses; to borrow money or emit bills on the credit of the United States, transmitting every half year to the respective states an account of the sums of money so borrowed or emited; to build and equip a navy; to agree upon the number of land forces, and to make requisitions from each state for its quota, in proportion to the number of white inhabitants in such state, which requisition shall be binding; and thereupon the legislature of each state shall appoint the regimental officers, raise the men, and clothe, arm and equip them, in a soldier-like manner, at the expense of the United States; and the officers and men, so clothed, armed and equipped, shall march to the place appointed, and within the time agreed on, by the United States in congress assembled; but if the United States, in congress assembled, shall, on consideration of circumstances, judge proper that any state should not raise men, or should raise a smaller number than its quota, and that any other state should raise a greater number of men than the quota thereof, such extra number shall be raised.