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 defense, 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 pretense 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 restrictions 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
offense. 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 most convenient management of the general interests of the
united States, delegates shall be annually appointed in such manner as the legislatures
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 recall 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 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 or 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 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 vessel 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 defense 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 judgement
of the united States, in congress assembled, shall be deemed requisite to garrison
the forts necessary for the defense of such State; but every State shall always
keep up a well-regulated and disciplined militia, sufficiently armed and accoutered,
and shall provide and constantly have ready for use, in public stores, a due
number of filed 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; nor shall any
State grant commissions to any ships or vessels of war, nor letters of marque
or reprisal, except it be after a declaration of war by the united States in
congress assembled, and then only against the kingdom or State and the subjects
thereof, against which war has been so declared, and under such regulations as
shall be established by the united States in congress assembled, unless such
State be infested by pirates, in which case vessels of war may be fitted out
for that occasion, and kept so long as the danger shall continue, or until the
united States in congress assembled shall determine otherwise.
Article VII. When land forces are raised by any State for the common defense,
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 expenses that shall be incurred
for the common defense 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 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 causes whatever;
which authority shall always be exercised in the manner following. Whenever the
legislative or executive authority or lawful agent of any State in controversy
with another shall present a petition to Congress stating the matter in question
and praying for a hearing, notice thereof shall be given by order of Congress
to the legislative or executive authority of the other State in controversy,
and a day assigned for the appearance of the parties by their lawful agents,
who shall then be directed to appoint by joint consent, commissioners or judges
to constitute a court for hearing and determining the matter in question…provided
also, that no State shall be deprived of territory for the benefit of the United
States.
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 standards 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 or regulating post offices from one
State to another, throughout all the United States, and exacting such postage
on the papers passing through the same as may be requisite to defray the expenses
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 members 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; 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; the legislature of each State shall appoint
the regimental officers, raise the men and clothe, arm and equip them in a solid-like
manner, at the expense of the United States. But if the United States in Congress
assembled shall judge proper that any State should not raise men, or should raise
a smaller 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 each
State, unless the legislature of such State shall judge that such extra number
cannot be safely spread out in the same, in which case they shall raise, officer,
cloth, arm and equip as many of such extra number as they judge can be safely
spared.
The united States in congress assembled shall never engage in a war, nor grant
letters of marque or 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 defense 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 vessels of war, to
be built or purchased, or the number of land or sea forces to be raised, nor
appoint a commander in chief of the army or navy, unless nine States assent to
the same: nor shall a question on any other point, except for adjourning from
day to day be determined, unless by the votes of the 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…
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 the 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 be requisite.
Article XI. Canada acceding to this confederation, and adjoining 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 XIII. Every State shall abide by the determination 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.