Articles of Confederation
Northwest Ordinance: Landmark 1787 Law Set the Foundation
On July 13, 1787, the Confederation Congress passed the Northwest Ordinance, one of the most important and influential acts of the early republic. It established a bill of rights years before one was added to the Constitution, and prohibited slavery in the territory...
Today in History: Continental Congress Approves Final Draft of the Articles of Confederation
On Nov. 15, 1777, the Second Continental Congress finalized the Articles of Confederation after 16 months of debate. The Articles were then sent to the states for consideration, and once ratified, formally united the 13 states into a confederation that retained for...
Today in History: Articles of Confederation Come into Force
Today in History, on March 1, 1781, the states adopted the Articles of Confederation, putting into operation the first constitution for the United States. In July of 1776, the Continental Congress passed the Richard Henry Lee Resolution and adopted the Declaration of...
Constitutional Genealogy: Benjamin Franklin’s First Articles of Confederation
Most people recognize that the Constitution evolved out of the Articles of Confederation. But the Articles were also part of a long evolution in political thought and constitutionalism that started long before the colonies’ quest for independence. An important...