no person 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 emitted 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 requisitions 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, officered, clothed, armed, and equipped in the same manner as the quota of such State, unless the legislature of such State shall judge that such extra number cannot be safely spared out of the same, in which case they shall raise, officer, clothe, arm, and equip as many of such extra number as they judge can be safely spared. 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. The United States, in Congress assembled, shall never engage in a war, nor grant letters of marque and reprisal in time of peace, nor enter into any treaties or alliances, nor coin money, nor regulate the value thereof, nor ascertain the sums and expenses necessary for the defence and welfare of the United States or any of them, nor emit bills, nor borrow money on the credit of the United States, nor appropriate money, nor agree upon the number of war vessels to be built or purchased, or the number of land or sea forces to be raised, nor appoint a commander-inchief of the army or navy, unless nine States assent to the same; nor shall a question or any other point, except for adjourning from day to day, be determined, unless by the votes of a majority of the United States in Congress assembled. The Congress of the United States shall have power to adjourn to any time within the year, and to any place within the United States, so that no period of adjournment be for a longer duration than the space of six months; and shall publish the journal of their proceedings monthly, except such parts thereof relating to treaties, alliances, or military operations, as in their judgment require secresy; and the yeas and nays of the delegates of each State on any question shall be entered on the journal, when it is is desired by any delegate; and the delegates of a State, or any of them, at his or their request, shall be furnished with a transcript of the said journal, except such parts as are above excepted, to lay before the legislatures of the several States. ART. X. The Committee of the States, or any nine of them, shall be authorized to execute, in the recess of Congress, such of the powers of Congress as ART. 10. Some such provision was made necessary by the war in which the States were engaged, and the need that a body of some kind should be always in session to meet the emergencies which were constantly arising. Under the Con What does Art. 10 provide for? Why was this necessary? the United States, in Congress assembled, by the consent of nine States, shall from time to time think expedient to vest them with; provided that no power be delegated to the said Committee, for the exercise of which, by the Articles of Confederation, the voice of nine States in the Congress of the United States assembled is requisite. ART. XI. Canada, acceding to this Confederation, and joining in the measures of the United States, shall be admitted into, and entitled to the advantages of this Union; but no other colony shall be admitted into the same, unless such admission be agreed to by nine States. ART. XII. All bills of credit emitted, moneys borrowed, and debts contracted by, or under the authority of Congress, before the assembling of the United States, in pursuance of the present Confederation, shall be deemed and considered as a charge against the United States, for payment and satisfaction whereof, the said United States, and the public faith, are hereby solemnly pledged. stitution the same thing is provided for by the power of the President as an executive officer, and his authority at any time to call an extra session of Congress. ART. 11. Canada was never represented in the Congress of the United States, and the attempt on Quebec, in which Gen. Montgomery was killed, was the most that ever was done for the subjugation of that province. Yet such a state of feeling was known to exist in Canada, and such a wish was felt in the States that it should enter the Union, that it was thought best to hold out to its people the encouragement contained in this Article. ART. 12. As the States were engaged in a common cause, equally important to all, this Article is but the dictate of justice. The same principle was recognized in framing the How does the Constitution provide for the same thing? Was Canada ever represented in Congress? Why was Art. 11 adopted? ART. XIII. Every State shall abide by the determinations of the United States, in Congress assembled, on all questions which by this Confederation are submitted to them. And the Articles of this Confederation shall be inviolably observed by every State, and the Union shall be perpetual; nor shall any alteration at any time hereafter be made in any of them, unless such alteration be agreed to by a Congress of the United States, and be afterwards confirmed by the legislatures of every State. And whereas it hath pleased the great Governor of the world to incline the hearts of the legislatures we respectfully represent in Congress, to approve of, and to authorize us to ratify the said Articles of Confederatian and perpetual Union; KNOW YE, that we, the undersigned delegates, by virtue of the power and authority to us given for that purpose, do by these presents, in the name and behalf of our respective constituents, fully and entirely ratify and confirm each and every of the said Articles of Confederation and perpetual Union, and all and singular the matters and Constitution, Art. 6. But the great difficulty, and one which effectually proved the insufficiency of the Confederation, was the impossibility of enforcing any of the clsims here acknowledged, and for which the public faith was pledged. ART. 13. The same may be remarked of this Article. Notwithstanding the solemn forms of ratification and signature, these Articles were perpetually disregarded and trampled on, especially after the return of peace. It here appears again that the Confederation was an act of the States through their legislatures; and as they could not be compelled to observe its stipulations, otherwise than by the force of war, the necessity arose, as we have seen, and shall farther see, that a government should be established having its claims, not on the States, but directly on the people. Where is the principle of Art. 12 recognized? What was the difficulty here? What may be remarked of Art. 13? What appears here again? What necessity arose ? things therein contained; and we do farther solemnly plight and engage the faith of our respective constituents, that they shall abide by the determinations of the United States, in Congress assembled, on all questions, which by the said Confederation are submitted to them; and that the Articles thereof shall be inviolably observed by the States we respectively represent, and that the Union shall be perpetual. In witness whereof, we have hereunto set our hands in Congress. Done at Philadelphia, in the State of Pennsylvania, the ninth day of July, in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and seventy-eight, and in the third year of the independence of America. We must not, however, think too lightly of the Articles of Confederation. If we properly consider circumstances, we shall see that they formed a respectable step in the progress of American government. The country was new, the nation was young, the hand of British power had always been laid on the Colonies to prevent their advancement, and society in all its departments was in a forming state. And while the country was shaken to its centre by a war with a powerful foreign nation, these Articles served a present purpose, while the people were generally unprepared for any thing better; and what was equally important, the experience of the people was aided under them, so that after the return of peace, they were able to stand on higher ground, and to see that a stable and efficient government is worth purchasing by the surrender of many private and State rights. When and where were these articles signed? 5* |