The Articles of Confederation, passed by the Second Continental Congress on November 15, 1777, outlined the new government for the United States of America. One of the committees formed by the Lee Resolution was responsible for determining the form of government the colonies would adopt following independence from Britain. This committee, headed by Delaware delegate John Dickinson, put forth the Dickinson Draft of the Articles of Confederation, which outlined a federal Congress, from which representation would be based on population; and allowed that the federal government would be responsible for all powers not given directly to the states. These articles were adopted by the Second Continental Congress in November 1777; however, due to intense debate over what to do about contested western lands and disputes over representation and voting rights, ratification of the Articles of Confederation was delayed until March 1, 1781. As you read over this document, compare it to others in this collection. Do you notice any development or difficulties that this document left open for the future?

Investigate the source using the zoom and navigational tools in the Flash player and then answer the questions below.

1			How does the document begin? How is this significant?
2			What specific issues do the Articles of Confederation address?
3			How do the Articles deal with state-federal power? Why is this issue so important to the delegates?
4			Why do you think it took until 1781 for the Articles to be ratified?
5			Who signed the document? How many signatures are there? Why does this matter?