Articles of Confederation

Articles of Confederation

Early U.S. constitution (1781–89) under the government by the Continental Congress, replaced in 1787 by the U.S. Constitution. It provided for a confederation of sovereign states and gave the Congress power to regulate foreign affairs, war, and the postal service, to control Indian affairs, and to borrow money. Under the Articles, Congress settled state claims to western lands and established the Northwest Ordinances. But Congress had no power to enforce its requests to the states for money or troops, and by late 1786 the government had ceased to be effective, as was demonstrated by Shays's Rebellion (1786–87) against courts that had been enforcing seizures of property for debt. Delegates to the Annapolis Convention called a meeting of all the states to amend the Articles.

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Articles of Confederation 

the first constitution of the USA. Ratified in November 1777, the Articles of Confederation served as the basis of American government from 1781 to 1789. They consolidated the conquests of the American Revolution (1775–83) and established a republican form of government in the former English colonies of North America, proclaiming a confederation and an eternal union of states.