Name: Remnant
Author: Fletcher Whitney

ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION
Ratified March 1, 1781
To all to whom these Presents shall come, we the undersigned
Delegates of the States affixed to our Names send greeting.
Whereas the Delegates of the United States of America in
Congress assembled did on the fifteenth day of November in the
Year of our Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred and Seventy seven,
and in the Second Year of the Independence of America agree
to certain articles of Confederation and perpetual Union
between the States of New Hampshire, Massachusetts-bay,
Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Connecticut,
New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland,
Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia in the
Words following, viz.
“Articles of Confederation and perpetual Union between the
States of New Hampshire, Massachusetts-bay, Rhode Island and
Providence Plantations, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey,
Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina,
South Carolina and Georgia.”
Article I
The Stile of this confederacy shall be “The United States of America.”
Article II
Each state retains its sovereignty, freedom and independence,
and every Power, Jurisdiction and right, which is not by this
confederation expressly delegated to the United States, in
Congress assembled.
Article III
The said states hereby severally enter into a firm league of
friendship with each other, for their common defence, the
security of their Liberties, and their mutual and general
welfare, binding themselves to assist each other, against all
force offered to, or attacks made upon them, or any of them,
on account of religion, sovereignty, trade, or any other
pretence whatever.
Article IV
The better to secure and perpetuate mutual friendship and
intercourse among the people of the different states in this
union, the free inhabitants of each of these states, paupers,
vagabonds and fugitives from Justice excepted, shall be entitled
to all privileges and immunities of free citizens in the
several states; and the people of each state shall have free
ingress and regress to and from any other state, and shall
enjoy therein all the privileges of trade and commerce, subject
to the same duties, impositions and restrictions as the
inhabitants thereof respectively, provided that such restriction
shall not extend so far as to prevent the removal of property
imported into any state, to any other state of which the Owner
is an inhabitant; provided also that no imposition, duties or
restriction shall be laid by any state, on the property of the
united states, or either of them.
If any Person guilty of, or charged with treason, felony, or
other high misdemeanor in any state, shall flee from Justice,
and be found in any of the united states, he shall upon demand
of the Governor or executive power, of the state from which he
fled, be delivered up and removed to the state having
jurisdiction of his offence.
Full faith and credit shall be given in each of these states
to the records, acts and judicial proceedings of the courts
and magistrates of every other state.
Article V
For the more convenient management of the general interests of
the united states, delegates shall be annually appointed in
such manner as the legislature of each state shall direct, to
meet in Congress on the first Monday in November, in every
year, with a power reserved to each state, to recal its
delegates, or any of them, at any time within the year, and
to send others in their stead, for the remainder of the Year.
No state shall be represented in Congress by less than two, nor
by more than seven Members; and no person shall be capable of
being a delegate for more than three years in any term of six
years; nor shall any person, being a delegate, be capable of
holding any office under the united states, for which he, or
another for his benefit receives any salary, fees or emolument
of any kind.
Each state shall maintain its own delegates in a meeting of the
states, and while they act as members of the committee of the states.
In determining questions in the united states, in Congress
assembled, each state shall have one vote.
Freedom of speech and debate in Congress shall not be impeached
or questioned in any Court, or place out of Congress, and the
members of congress shall be protected in their persons from
arrests and imprisonments, during the time of their going to
and from, and attendance on congress, except for treason,
felony, or breach of the peace.
Article VI
No state without the Consent of the united states in congress
assembled, shall send any embassy to, or receive any embassy
from, or enter into any conference agreement, alliance or
treaty with any King prince or state; nor shall any person
holding any office of profit or trust under the united states,
or any of them, accept of any present, emolument, office or
title of any kind whatever from any king, prince or foreign
state; nor shall the united states in congress assembled, or
any of them, grant any title of nobility.
No two or more states shall enter into any treaty, confederation
or alliance whatever between them, without the consent of the
united states in congress assembled, specifying accurately the
purposes for which the same is to be entered into, and how
long it shall continue.
No state shall lay any imposts or duties, which may interfere
with any stipulations in treaties, entered into by the united
states in congress assembled, with any king, prince or state,
in pursuance of any treaties already proposed by congress, to
the courts of France and Spain.
No vessels of war shall be kept up in time of peace by any
state, except such number only, as shall be deemed necessary
by the united states in congress assembled, for the defence
of such state, or its trade; nor shall any body of forces be
kept up by any state, in time of peace, except such number
only, as in the judgment of the united states, in congress
assembled, shall be deemed requisite to garrison the forts
necessary for the defence of such state; but every state shall
always keep up a well regulated and disciplined militia,
sufficiently armed and accoutred, and shall provide and
constantly have ready for use, in public stores, a due number
of field pieces and tents, and a proper quantity of arms,
ammunition and camp equipage.
No state shall engage in any war without the consent of the
united states in congress assembled, unless such state be
actually invaded by enemies, or shall have received certain
advice of a resolution being formed by some nation of Indians
to invade such state, and the danger is so imminent as not to
admit of a delay till the united states in congress assembled
can be consulted.
Article VII
When land-forces are raised by any state for the common defence,
all officers of or under the rank of colonel, shall be appointed
by the legislature of each state respectively by whom such
forces shall be raised, or in such manner as such state shall
direct, and all vacancies shall be filled up by the state
which first made the appointment.
Article VIII
All charges of war, and all other expences that shall be
incurred for the common defence or general welfare, and allowed
by the united states in congress assembled, shall be defrayed
out of a common treasury, which shall be supplied by the
several states, in proportion to the value of all land within
each state, granted to or surveyed for any Person, as such
land and the buildings and improvements thereon shall be
estimated according to such mode as the united states in
congress assembled, shall from time to time direct and appoint.
The taxes for paying that proportion shall be laid and levied
by the authority and direction of the legislatures of the
several states within the time agreed upon by the united
states in congress assembled.
Article IX
The united states in congress assembled, shall have the sole
and exclusive right and power of determining on peace and war,
except in the cases mentioned in the sixth article — of sending
and receiving ambassadors — entering into treaties and alliances,
provided that no treaty of commerce shall be made whereby the
legislative power of the respective states shall be restrained
from imposing such imposts and duties on foreigners, as their
own people are subjected to, or from prohibiting the exportation
or importation of any species of goods or commodities whatsoever
— of establishing rules for deciding in all cases, what captures
on land or water shall be legal, and in what manner prizes taken
by land or naval forces in the service of the united states
shall be divided or appropriated — of granting letters of
marque and reprisal in times of peace — appointing courts for
the trial of piracies and felonies committed on the high seas
and establishing courts for receiving and determining finally
appeals in all cases of captures, provided that no member of
congress shall be appointed a judge of any of the said courts.
The united states in congress assembled shall also be the last
resort on appeal in all disputes and differences now subsisting
or that hereafter may arise between two or more states concerning
boundary, jurisdiction or any other cause whatever.
The united states in congress assembled shall also have the
sole and exclusive right and power of regulating the alloy and
value of coin struck by their own authority, or by that of the
respective states — fixing the standard of weights and measures
throughout the united states — regulating the trade and managing
all affairs with the Indians, not members of any of the states,
provided that the legislative right of any state within its
own limits be not infringed or violated — establishing and
regulating post-offices from one state to another, throughout
all the united states, and exacting such postage on the papers
passing thro’ the same as may be requisite to defray the
expences of the said office — appointing all officers of the
land forces, in the service of the united states, excepting
regimental officers — appointing all the officers of the naval
forces, and commissioning all officers whatever in the service
of the united states — making rules for the government and
regulation of the said land and naval forces, and directing
their operations.
The united states in congress assembled shall have authority
to appoint a committee, to sit in the recess of congress, to
be denominated “A Committee of the States,” and to consist of
one delegate from each state; and to appoint such other
committees and civil officers as may be necessary for managing
the general affairs of the united states under their direction
— to appoint one of their number to preside, provided that no
person be allowed to serve in the office of president more than
one year in any term of three years.
Article 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 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.
Article XI
Canada acceding to this confederation, and joining in the
measures of the united states, shall be admitted into, and
entitled to all the advantages of this union: but no other
colony shall be admitted into the same, unless such admission
be agreed to by nine states.
Article XII
All bills of credit emitted, monies 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.
Article 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 in 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 respectively represent
in congress, to approve of, and to authorize us to ratify the
said articles of confederation 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 in 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 things therein contained: And we do
further 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.
New Hampshire:
Josiah Bartlett, John Wentworth, Jr.
Massachusetts:
John Hancock, Samuel Adams, Elbridge Gerry, Francis Dana, James Lovell, Samuel Holten
Rhode Island:
William Ellery, Henry Marchant, John Collins
Connecticut:
Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, Oliver Wolcott, Titus Hosmer, Andrew Adams
New York:
James Duane, Francis Lewis, William Duer, Gouverneur Morris
New Jersey:
John Witherspoon, Nathaniel Scudder
Pennsylvania:
Robert Morris, Daniel Roberdeau, Jonathan Bayard Smith, William Clingan, Joseph Reed
Delaware:
Thomas McKean, John Dickinson, Nicholas Van Dyke
Maryland:
John Hanson, Daniel Carroll
Virginia:
Richard Henry Lee, John Banister, Thomas Adams, John Harvie, Francis Lightfoot Lee
North Carolina:
John Penn, Cornelius Harnett, John Williams
South Carolina:
Henry Laurens, William Henry Drayton, John Mathews, Richard Hutson, Thomas Heyward, Jr.
Georgia:
John Walton, Edward Telfair, Edward Langworthy