Articles of Confederation Ratified

Context

By the mid-1770s, the thirteen American colonies had declared independence from Britain and were coordinating their resistance through the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia. This body managed military efforts, foreign relations, and finances without a formal charter, relying instead on ad hoc agreements among sovereign states. Debates over a permanent framework began almost immediately after the Declaration of Independence, as leaders recognized the need for a binding union to sustain the war effort and present a united front to European powers.

What Happened

In June 1776, Congress appointed a committee of one delegate from each colony, with John Dickinson of Delaware as the principal author, to draft articles of confederation. After extensive revision, Congress approved the finished document on November 15, 1777, and sent it to the states for unanimous ratification. Most states approved it within a year, but disputes over western land claims—particularly Virginia’s vast holdings north of the Ohio River—stalled full acceptance. Maryland, fearing domination by larger states, withheld ratification until Virginia signaled its willingness to cede those claims to the union. On February 2, 1781, the Maryland General Assembly in Annapolis passed the ratification act. News reached Congress in Philadelphia, where Maryland’s two delegates formally signed the engrossed parchment on March 1; Congress then issued a proclamation declaring the Articles operative and renaming itself the Congress of the Confederation.

Aftermath

The new government coordinated diplomacy that secured French aid and ultimately victory at Yorktown later that year. It also authorized the Bank of North America and attempted to manage war debts, though its lack of taxation power left it dependent on state contributions. The Confederation Congress continued to function through the Treaty of Paris in 1783 and the postwar years, overseeing the Northwest Ordinance and early land policy.

Legacy

Operating until superseded by the Constitution in 1789, the Articles demonstrated both the possibilities and limits of a loose confederation of sovereign states. Its weaknesses—especially the inability to regulate commerce or compel revenue—prompted the 1787 Constitutional Convention and shaped enduring American debates over federal versus state authority. Historians view the document as a pragmatic wartime expedient that nonetheless laid the groundwork for national identity and westward expansion.