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...
Constitutional Genealogy: The New England Confederation of 1643
The foundational ideas underlying the Constitution took root long before the founders drafted the document. In fact, they began to take root in the earliest days of American colonialization. The Constitution was the culmination of a radical shift in political thought....