Articles of Confederation,
the compact made by the 13 original colonies that set up a permanent central government for the U.S. The document, consisting of a preamble and 13 articles, was the basic law of the country from its adoption in 1781 until 1789, when it was superseded by the U.S. Constitution.
The Articles of Confederation were proposed by the Second Continental Congress in 1776 and were drafted by a committee headed by the American statesman John Dickinson. The first draft provided for a strong central government, but this was not satisfactory to a Congress concerned with states' rights. The revised draft, adopted by the Continental Congress on Nov. 15, 1777, called for a government that theoretically possessed many powers but was actually subordinate to the states. The major controversies involved in the drafting and passage of the document concerned states' rights, representation, funding of the government, and control of the western lands beyond the borders of the new nation. The articles were finally ratified by all 13 states and took effect on March 1, 1781.
Under the articles, the nation was a league of sovereign states, each with a single vote. The Congress, or central government, made up of delegates chosen by the states, was given the power to conduct foreign affairs, make treaties, declare war, maintain an army and a navy, coin money, and establish post offices. Measures passed by Congress, however, required the approval of 9 of the 13 states. The Congress was severely limited in its powers. It could not raise money by collecting taxes; it had no control over foreign commerce; it could pass laws but could not force the states to comply with them. Thus, the government was dependent on the willingness of the various states to carry out its measures, and often the states refused to cooperate. In addition, the articles were virtually impossible to amend, so problems could not be corrected. These defects provided an insurmountable barrier to effective constitutional government. The nation's leaders realized that a stronger central administration was needed if the U.S. was to survive. In 1787 the Constitutional Convention met in Philadelphia to draw up a constitution, which was adopted in 1789.