ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION AND PERPETUAL UNION BETWEEN The States of New-Hampshire, Massachusetts-Bay, Rhode-Island, and Providence Plantations, Connecticut, New-York, New-Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North-Carolina, South-Carolina, and Georgia. Article 1. Ta HE ftile of this confederacy fhall be, "United Art. II. Each ftate retains its fovereignty, freedom, and independence, and every power, jurifdiction, and right, which is not by this confederation exprefsly delegated to the united states in congrefs affembled. Art. III. The faid ftates hereby feverally enter into a firm league of friendship with each other, for their common defence, the fecurity of their liberties, and their mutual and general welfare, binding themselves to affift each other against all force offered to, or attacks made upon them, or any of them, on account of religion, fovereignty, trade, or any other pretence whatever. Art. IV. The better to fecure and perpetuate mutual friendfhip and intercourfe among the people of the different ftates in this union, the free inhabitants of each of thefe ftates, paupers, vagabonds, and fugitives from juftice excepted, fhall be entitled to all privileges and immunities of free citizens in the feveral ftates; and the people of each ftate fhall have free ingrefs and regrefs to and from any other ftate, and fhall enjoy therein all the privileges of trade and commerce, fubject to the fame duties, impofitions, and restrictions, as the inhabitants thereof refpectively, provided that fuch reftrictions fhall not extend fo far as to prevent the removal of property imported into any ftate to any other state of which the owner is an inhabitant; pro vided also that no impofition, duties, or reftriction, fhall be laid by any state on the property of the united states, or either of them. If any perfon guilty of or charged with treason, felony, or other high mifdemeanour in any ftate, fhall flee from juftice, and be found in any of the united states, he fhall, upon demand of the governor or executive power of the ftate from which he fled, be delivered delivered up and removed to the ftate having jurifdiction of his offence. Full faith and credit fhall be given in each of thefe ftates to the records, acts, and judicial proceedings of the courts and magiftrates of every other state. Art. V. For the more convenient management of the general interefts of the united ftates, delegates fhall be annually appointed in fuch manner as the legislature of each state fhall direct, to meet in congrefs on the first Monday in November of every year, with a power referved to each ftate to recal its delegates, or any of them, at any time within the year, and to fend others in their ftead, for the remainder of the year. No state shall be reprefented in congrefs by lefs than two, nor more than feven, members; and no perfon fhall be capable of being a delegate for more than three years, in any term of fix years; nor fhall any perfon, being a delegate, be capable of holding any office under the united states, for which he, or any other for his benefit, receives any falary, fees, or emolument, of any kind. Each state fhall maintain its own delegates in a meeting of the ftates, and while they act as members of the committee of the states. In determining questions in the united states in congrefs affembled, each state fhall have one vote. Freedom of fpeech and debate in congrefs fhall not be impeached or queftioned in any court or place out of congrefs, and the members of congrefs fhall be protected in their perfons from arrests and imprisonments during the time of their going to and from and attendance on congrefs, except for treafon, felony, or breach of the peace. Art. VI. No ftate, without the confent of the united ftates in congrefs affembled, fhall fend any embafly to, or receive any embaffy from, or enter into any conference, agreement, alliance, or treaty, with any king, prince, or ftate; nor fhall any perfon holding any office of profit or truft under the united states, or any of them, accept of any prefent, emolument, office, or title, of any kind whatever, from any king, prince, or foreign state; nor fhall the united ftates in congrefs affembled, or any of them, grant any title of nobility. 2. No two or more ftates fhall enter into any treaty, confede ration, or alliance whatever between them, without the confent of the united states in congrefs affembled, fpecifying accurately the purposes for which the fame is to be entered into, and how long it fhall continue. 3. No ftate fhall lay any impofts or duties which may interfere with any ftipulations in treaties, entered into by the united states. in congrefs affembled, with any king, prince, or ftate, in purfuance of any treaties already propofed by congress to the courts of France and Spain. 4. No 4. No veffels of war fhall be kept up in time of peace by any ftate, except fuch number only as fhall be deemed neceffary by the united states in congrefs affembled for the defence of fuch ftate, or its trade; nor fhall any body of forces be kept up by any state, in time of peace, except fuch number only as in the judgement of the united states in congrefs affembled fhall be deemed requifite to garrifon the forts neceffary for the defence of such state; but every state shall always keep up a well-regulated and difciplined militia, fufficiently armed and accoutred, and fhall provide and conftantly have ready for use, in public ftores, a due number of field-pieces and tents, and a proper quantity of arms, ammunition, and camp equipage. 5. No ftate fhall engage in any war without the consent of the united states in congrefs affembled, unless fuch ftate be actually invaded by enemies, or fhall have received certain advice of a refolution being formed by fome nation of Indians to invade such ftate, and the danger is fo imminent as not to admit of a delay till the united states in congrefs affembled can be confulted: nor fhall any ftate grant commiffions to any fhips or veffels of war, nor letters of marque or reprifal, except it be after a declaration of war by the united states in congrefs affembled, and then only against the kingdom or ftate and the fubjects thereof against which war has been fo declared, and under fuch regulations as fhall be established by the united states in congrefs affembled, unless such ftate be infefted by pirates, in which cafe veffels of war may be fitted out for that occafion, and kept fo long as the danger fhall continue, or until the united states in congrefs affembled fhall de termine otherwise. Art. VII. When land-forces are raised by any state for the common defence, all officers of or under the rank of colonel fhall be appointed by the legiflature of each state respectively by whom fuch forces fhall be raifed, or in fuch manner as fuch state shall direct, and all vacancies fhall be filled up by the ftate which first made the appointment. Art. VIII. All charges of war, and all other expences that fhall be incurred for the common defence or general welfare, and allowed by the united states in congrefs affembled, fhall be defrayed out of a common treafury, which fhall be fupplied by the feveral ftates, in proportion to the value of all land within each ftate, granted to or furveyed for any perfon, as fuch land and the buildings and improvements thereon fhall be estimated, according to fuch mode as the united ftates in congrefs affembled shall from time to time direct and appoint. The taxes for paying that proportion fhall be laid and levied by the authority and direction of the legislatures of the feveral states within the time agreed upon by the united states in congrefs affembled. Art. IX. The united states in congrefs affembled fhall have the fole and exclufive right and power of determining on peace and war, war, except in the cafes mentioned in the fixth article; of fending and receiving ambaffadors; entering into treaties and alliances, provided that no treaty of commerce fhall be made, whereby the legislative power of the refpective ftates fhall be reftrained from impofing fuch impofts and duties on foreigners, as their own people are fubjected to, or from prohibiting the exportation or importation of any fpecies of goods or commodities what foever; of establishing rules for deciding in all cafes, what captures on land or water fhall be legal, and in what manner prizes taken by land or naval forces in the fervice of the united ftates fhall be divided or appropriated; of granting letters of marque and reprifal in times of peace; appointing courts for the trial of piracies and felonies committed on the high feas; and establishing courts for receiving and determining finally appeals in all cafes of captures, provided that no member of congrefs fhall be appointed a judge of any of the faid courts. 2. The united states in congrefs affembled fhall also be the laft reført on appeal in all difputes and differences now fubfifting or that hereafter may arife between two or more ftates concerning boundary, jurifdiction, or any other caufe whatever; which authority fhall always be exercifed in the manner following.Whenever the legislative or executive authority or lawful agent of any flate in controverfy with another, fhall present a petition to congrefs, ftating the matter in queftion, and praying for a hearing, notice thereof fhall be given by order of congrefs to the legislative or executive authority of the other state in controverfy, and a day affigned for the appearance of the parties by their lawful agents, who fhall then be directed to appoint by joint confent commiffioners or judges to conítitute a court for hearing and determining the matter in question; but if they cannot agree, congrefs fhall name three perfons out of each of the united states, and from the lift of fuch perfons each party fhall alternately ftrike out one, the petitioners beginning, until the number fhall be reduced to thirteen; and from that number not lefs than seven nor more than nine names, as congrefs fhall direct, fhall in the prefence of congrefs be drawn out by lot; and the perfons whofe names shall be so drawn, or any five of them, fhall be commiffioners or judges, to hear and finally determine the controverly, fo always as a major part of the judges, who fhall hear the caufe, fhall agree in the determination: and if either party fhall neglect to attend at the day appointed, without fhewing reasons which congrefs fhall judge fufficient, or being present shall refuse to ftrike, the congrefs fhall proceed to nominate three persons out of each state, and the fecretary of congrefs fhall ftrike in behalf of fuch party abfent or refufing; and the judgment and fentence of the court to be appointed, in the manner before prefcribed, fhall be final and conclufive; and if any of the parties fhall refuse to fubmit to the authority of fuch court, or to appear or defend heir claim or caufe, the court shall nevertheless proceed to pronounce fentence, or judgment, which fhall in like manner be final and decifive; the judgment or fentence and other proceedings being in either cafe tranfmitted to congrefs, and lodged among the acts of congrefs, for the fecurity of the parties concerned: provided, that every commiffioner, before he fits in judgment, fhall take an oath, to be adminiftered by one of the judges of the fupreme br fuperior court of the ftate where the caufe fhall be tried, "well and truly to hear and determine the matter in queftion, according to the beft of his judgement, without favour, affection, or hope of reward:" provided alfo, that no ftate fhall be deprived of territory for the benefit of the united ftates. 3. All controverfies concerning the private right of foil claimed under different grants of two or more ftates, whofe jurisdictions as they may refpect fuch lands, and the ftates which paffed fuch grants are adjusted, the faid grants or either of them being at the fame time claimed to have originated antecedent to such settlement of jurifdiction, fhall on the petition of either party to the congrefs of the united states, be finally determined, as near as may be, in the fame manner as is before prescribed for deciding difputes refpecting territorial jurifdiction between different ftates. 4. The united states in congrefs affembled fhall also have the fole and exclufive right and power of regulating the alloy and value of coin ftruck by their own authority, or by that of the refpective ftates; fixing the ftandard of weights and measures throughout the united states; regulating the trade and managing all affairs with the Indians, not members of any of the ftates, provided that the legiflative right of any ftate within its own limits be not infringed or violated; establishing and regulating poft-offices from one state to another, throughout all the united ftates, and exacting fuch poftage on the papers paffing through the fame, as may be requifite to defray the expences of the faid office; appointing all officers of the land forces in the fervice of the united states, excepting regimental officers; appointing all the officers of the naval forces, and commiffioning all officers whatever in the fervice of the united states; making rules for the government and regulation of the faid land and naval forces, and directing their operations. 5. The united states in congrefs affembled fhall have authority to appoint a committee, to fit in the recefs of congrefs, to be denominated, A Committee of the States, and to confift of one delegate from each state; and to appoint fuch other committees and civil officers as may be neceflary for managing the general affairs of the united states under their direction; to appoint one of their number to preside, provided that no person be allowed to ferve |