Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union

A draft committee appointed by Congress June 12, 1776, to draw up a form of government for the thirteen colonies. The committee consisted of:

• John Dickinson (Pennsylvania, chairman of the committee)
• Samuel Adams (Massachusetts)
• Josiah Bartlett (New Hampshire)
• Button Gwinnett (Georgia)
• Joseph Hewes (North Carolina)
• Stephen Hopkins (Rhode Island)
• Robert R. Livingston (New York)
• Thomas McKean (Delaware)
• Thomas Nelson (Virginia)
• Edward Rutledge (South Carolina)
• Roger Sherman (Connecticut)
• Thomas Stone (Maryland)
• Francis Hopkinson (New Jersey, added to the committee last)

They reported their results to the Congress on July 12, 1776.

The final draft of the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union was completed on November 15, 1777.

The articles were ratified by the states:

1. Virginia: December 16, 1777
2. South Carolina: February 5, 1778
3. New York: February 6, 1778
4. Rhode Island: February 9, 1778
5. Connecticut: February 12, 1778
6. Georgia: February 26, 1778
7. New Hampshire: March 4, 1778
8. Pennsylvania: March 5, 1778
9. Massachusetts: March 10, 1778
10. North Carolina: April 5, 1778
11. New Jersey: November 19, 1778
12. Delaware: February 1, 1779
13. Maryland: February 2, 1781

Maryland delayed ratification until states with claims to western lands ceded them to Congress.

The Articles contained a provision to admit new states: Canada (that is, the Province of Quebec) was pre-approved; other states could be admitted with the vote of nine states. Resolutions were later introduced to admit Kentucky, Vermont, and Frankland (later called Franklin; now a part of eastern Tennessee), but none were approved. It is possible that other British colonies might be invited to join, including the Caribbean islands, Nova Scotia, and even Ireland.

The Articles of Confederation failed as an effective instrument of government, and were replaced by the Constitution, completed September 17, 1787, and put into effect in 1789.

For more information, see the Wikipedia article. See also the text of the Articles.