Articles of Confederation
America’s first constitution. Ratified in 1781, the Articles established a "firm league of friendship" among sovereign states. It created a intentionally weak central government lacking the power to tax or regulate trade. Download this primary source to understand the critical failures that led directly to the Constitutional Convention of 1787.
The Articles of Confederation (1781): America’s First Constitution
Download the Articles of Confederation: The Nation’s “First Draft”
Before the U.S. Constitution, there were the Articles of Confederation. It was the governing document that carried the United States through the Revolutionary War and its first unsteady years of independence.
At Political Jar, we believe that understanding the successes of the current Constitution requires understanding the failures that came before it. We are providing a free PDF download of the Articles of Confederation so you can read the text of America’s first attempt at a national government.
A “Firm League of Friendship”
Drafted in an atmosphere of deep suspicion toward centralized power (having just fought a king), the authors of the Articles created a government that was intentionally weak.
When ratified in 1781, the Articles did not create a strong nation; they created a loose alliance of thirteen sovereign states. There was no President and no Supreme Court—only a unicameral Congress with very limited authority.
A Lesson in Governance
The Articles are famous today primarily for their flaws. The central government could not levy taxes, could not regulate commerce between states, and required a unanimous vote to amend the document. These weaknesses led to economic chaos and domestic unrest, such as Shays’ Rebellion, proving that a government too weak to govern is just as dangerous as one that is too strong.
Add This Essential History to Your Library
Why read a “failed” document? Because the Articles of Confederation set the stage for everything that followed. To truly appreciate the balance of power in the U.S. Constitution, you must first read the document it replaced.
Download the Articles of Confederation for free
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