1471. CONFEDERATION, The Articles of.—
On Friday, July 12 [1776], the committee
appointed to draw the Articles of Confederation
reported them, and, on the 22d, the
House resolved themselves into a committee
to take them into consideration. On the 30th
and 31st of that month, and 1st of the ensuing,
those Articles were debated which determined
the proportion, or quota, of money
which each State should furnish to the common
treasury, and the manner of voting in
Congress. The first of these Articles was
expressed in the original draft in these words.
“Art. XI. All charges of war and all other
expenses that shall be incurred for the common
defence, or general welfare, and allowed
by the United States assembled, shall be defrayed
out of a common treasury, which shall
be supplied by the several colonies in proportion
to the number of inhabitants of every age,
sex, and quality, except Indians not paying
taxes, in each Colony, a true account of
which, distinguishing the white inhabitants,
shall be triennially taken and transmitted to
the Assembly of the United States.” * * *
[Here follows Jefferson's report of the debates,
printed in the Appendix to this volume.]
These Articles, reported July 12, '76, were
debated from day to day and time to time, for
two years, were ratified July 9, '78, by ten
States, by New Jersey on the 26th of November
of the same year, and by Delaware on the
23d of February following. Maryland alone
held off two years more, acceding to them
March 1, '81, and thus closing the obligation.—
Autobiography. Washington ed. i, 26.
Ford ed., i, 38.
(1821)
