lature of each Colony or the persons authorized as aforesaid, shall appoint the Regimental Officers, raise the Men and arm and equip them in a soldierlike Manner, and the Officers and Men so armed and equip'd shall march to the Place appointed and within the Time agreed on by the United States assembled

But if the United States assembled shall on Consideration of Circumstances judge proper, that any Colony or Colonies should not raise Men or should raise a smaller Number than the Quota or Quotas of such Colony or Colonies, and that any other Colony or Colonies should raise a greater number of men than the Quota or Quotas thereof, such extra-numbers shall be raised officered, armed and equip'd in the same Manner as the Quota or Quotas of such Colony or Colonies, unless the legislature of such Colony or Colonies respectively, shall judge that such extra-Numbers cannot be safely spared out of the same, in which Case they shall raise officer arm and equip as many of such extra-Numbers as they judge can be safely spared; and the Officers and Men so armed and equip'd shall march to the Place appointed, and within the Time agreed on by the United States assembled.

To establish the same Weights and Measures throughout the United Colonies

But the United States assembled shall never impose or levy any Taxes or Duties, except in managing the Post Offices, nor interfere in the internal Police of any Colony, any farther than such Police may be affected by the Articles of this Confederation. The United States assembled shall never engage the United Colonies 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 agree upon nor fix the Sums and Expenses necessary for the Defence and Wellfare of the United Colonies or any of them, nor emit Bills, nor borrow Money on the Credit of the United Colonies, nor raise naval Forces, nor agree upon the Number of Land Forces to be raised, unless the Delegates of nine Colonies freely assent to the same: nor shall a Question on any other Point, except for adjourning, be determined, unless the Delegates of seven Colonies vote in the Affirmative.

No person shall be capable of being a Delegate for more than Three Years in any Term of six Years.

No person holding any Office under the United States, for which he, or another for his Benefit, receives any Salary Fees or Emolument of any Kind, shall be capable of being a Delegate

The Assembly of the United States to publish the Journal of their proceedings monthly, except such Parts thereof relating to Treaties, Alliances, or military Operations, as in their Judgment require Secrecy-The Yeas & Nays of the Delegates of each Colony on any Question to be entered on the Journal, when it is desired by any Delegate; and the Delegates of a Colony or any of them, at his or their Request to be furnished with a Transcript of the said Journal, except such Parts as are above excepted, to lay before the Legislatures of the several Colonies.

Art' 19th The Council of State shall consist of one Delegate from each Colony, to be named annually by the Delegates of each Colony, and where they cannot agree, by the United States assembled.

This Council shall have power,

To receive and open all Letters directed to the United States, and to return proper answers, but not to make any Engagements that shall be binding on the United States-to correspond with the Legislature of every Colony, and all Persons acting under the Authority of the United States, or of the said Legislatures-to apply t, such Legislatures, or to the Officers in the several Colories, who are entrusted with the executive powers of Government, for occasional Aid whenever and wherever necessary to give Counsel to the Commanding Officers, and to direct military Operations by Sea and Land, not changing any Objects or Expeditions determined on by the United States assembled, unless an Alteration of Circumstances which shall come to the Knowledge of the Council after the Recess of the States, shall make such Change absolutely necessary-to attend to the Defence & Preservation of Forts and strong Posts, and to prevent the Enemy from acquiring new Holds to procure Intelligence of the Condition & Designs of the Enemy-to

expedite the Execution of such Measures as may be resolved on by the United States assembled, in pursuance of the Powers hereby given to them-to draw upon the Treasurers for such Sums as may be appropriated by the United States assembled, and for the Payment of such Contracts as the said Council may make in pursuance of the Powers hereby given to them to superintend and controul or suspend all officers civil and military acting under the Authority of the United States-in case of the Death or Removal of any Officer within the Appointment of the United States assembled, to employ a person to fulfil the Duties of such Office untill the Assembly of the States Meet to publish & disperse authentic Accounts of military Operations-to summon an Assembly of the States at an earlier Day than that appointed for their next Meeting, if any great & unexpected Emergency should render it necessary for the Safety or Wellfare of the United Colonies or any of them-to prepare Matters for the Consideration of the United States, and to lay before them at their next Meeting all Letters and Advices received by the Council, with a Report of their proceedings appoint a proper Person for their Clerk, who shall take an Oath of Secrecy and Fidelity before he enters on the Exercise of his Office-Seven Members shall have power to act-In case of the Death of any member, the Council shall immedi ately apply to his surviving Collegues to appoint some one of themselves to be a Member thereof till the Meeting of the States, & if only one survives, they shall give him immediate Notice, that he may take his Seat as a Councillor till such Meeting.

to

Art 20: Canada according to this Confederation, and entirely joining in the Measures of the United Colonies, 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 the Delegates of nine Colonies.

These Articles shall be proposed to the Legislatures of all the United Colonies, to be by them considered, and if approved by them, they are advised to authorize their Delegates to ratify the same in the Assembly of the United States, which being done, the Articles of this Confederation shall inviolably

be observed by every Colony, and the Union is to be perpet-
ual: Nor shall any Alteration be at any Time hereafter made
in these Articles or any of them, unless such Alteration be
agreed to in an Assembly of the United States, and be after-
ward confirmed by the Legislatures of every Colony.

[Endorsement on the Manuscript]
Report of Articles

of Confederation

Nov. 15, 1777.-ARTICLES AGREED TO BY

CONGRESS.

A copy of the Confederation being made out and sundry. amendments made in the diction without altering the sense the same was agreed to & is as follows

JULY 9, 1778.-ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION. (OFFICIAL ENGROSSED TEXT.)

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 Newhampshire, Massachusetts-bay, Rhodeisland 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 Newhampshire, Massachusetts-bay, Rhodeisland 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 be 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.