serve in the office of prefident more than one year in any term of three years; to afcertain the neceffary fums of money to be raised for the fervice of the united ftates, and to appropriate and apply the fame for defraying the public expences; to borrow money or emit bills on the credit of the united ftates, tranfmitting every half year to the refpective ftates an account of the fums of money fo borrowed or emitted; to build and equip a navy; to agree upon the number of land forces, and to make requifitions from each ftate for its quota, in proportion to the number of white inhabitants in fuch ftate, which requifition fhall be binding; and thereupon the legislature of each fate fhall appoint the regimental officers, raise the men, and cloath, arm, and equip them in a foldier-like manner, at the expence of the united states; and the officers and men fo cloathed, armed, and equipped, fhall march to the place appointed, and within the time agreed on by the united states in congrefs affembled: but if the united ftates in congrefs affembled fhall, on confideration of circumstances, judge proper that any ftate fhould not raise men, or fhould raise a. fmaller number than its quota, and that any other state should raise a greater number of men than the quota thereof, fuch extra 'number shall be raised, officered, cloathed, armed, and equipped in the fame manner as the quota of such ftate, unless the legisla ture of such state fhall judge that fuch extra number cannot be fafely fpared out of the fame, in which cafe they shall raife, officer, cloath, arm, and equip, as many of fuch extra number as they judge can be fafely fpared; and the officers and men fo cloathed, armed, and equipped, fhall march to the place appointed, and within the time agreed on by the united states in congress assembled.

6. The united states in congrefs affembled fhall never engage in a war, nor grant letters of marque and reprifal in time of peace, nor enter into any treaties or alliances, nor coin money, nor regulate the value thereof, nor afcertain the fums and expences neceffary for the defence 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 veffels of war to be built or purchafed, or the number of land or fea forces to be raised, nor appoint a commander in chief of the army or navy, unless nine ftates affent to the fame : Nor fhall a queftion on any other point, except for adjourning from day to day, be determined, unlefs by the votes of a majority of the united states in congrefs affembled.

7. The congrefs of the united states fhall have power to adjourn to any time within the year, and to any place within the united ftates, so that no period of adjournment be for a longer duration than the space of fix months, and fhall publish the journal of their proceedings monthly, except fuch parts thereof relating to J treaties,

C 2

treaties, alliances, or military operations, as in their judgement require fecrecy; and the yeas and nays of the legates of each ftate on any question fhall be entered on the journal, when it is defired by any delegate; and the delegates of a state, or any of them, at his or their requeft fhall be furnished with a tranfcript of the faid journal, except fuch parts as are above excepted, to Jay before the legiflatures of the several states.

Art. X. The committee of the states, or any nine of them, shall be authorised to execute, in the recefs of congrefs, fuch of the powers of congrefs as the united states in congrefs affembled, by the confent of nine ftates, fhall from time to time think expedient to veft them with; provided that no power be delegated to the faid committee, for the exercife of which, by the articles of confederation, the voice of nine ftates, in the congrefs of the united states affembled, is requifite.

Art. XI. Canada acceding to this confederation, and joining in the measures of the united ftates, fhall be admitted into, and entitled to all the advantages of this union: But no other colony fhall be admited into the fame, unless fuch admiffion be agreed to by nine ftates.

Art. XII. All bills of credit emitted, monies borrowed, and debts contracted by, or under the authority of congrefs, before the affembling of the united ftates, in purfuance of the prefent confederation, fhall be deemed and confidered as a chargé against the united states, for payment and fatisfaction whereof the faid united states and the public faith are hereby folemnly pledged.

Art. XIII. Every state shall abide by the determinations of the united states in congrefs affembled, on all queftions which by this confederation are submitted to them. And the articles of this confederation fhall be inviolably obferved by every state, and the union fhall be perpetual; nor fhall any alteration at any time hereafter be made in any of them; unless fuch alteration be agreed to in a congrefs of the united states, and be afterwards confirmed by the legislatures of every state.

AND WHEREAS it hath pleafed the great Governor of the world to incline the hearts of the legislatures we refpectively reprefent in congrefs, to approve of, and to authorife us to ratify the faid articles of confederation and perpetual union: KNOW YE, that we, the underfigned delegates, by virtue of the power and authority to us given for that purpofe, do, by these prefent, in the name and behalf of our refpective conftituents, fully and entirely ratify and confirm each and every of the faid articles of confederation and perpetual union, and all and fingular the matters and things therein contained. And we do further folemnly plight and engage the faith of our re

fpective

fpective constituents, that they fhall abide by the determinations of the united ftates in congrefs affembled, on all questions which by the faid confederation are fubmitted to them; and that the articles thereof fhall be inviolably obferved by theftates we refpectively reprefent; and that the union shall be perpetual. IN WITNESS whereof, we have hereunto set our hands in congrefs.

DÓNE at Philadelphia, in the state of Pennsylvania, the oth day of July, in the year of our Lord, 1778, and in the third year of the independence of America.

The aforefaid articles of confederation were finally ratified on the first day of March 1781; the ftate of Maryland having, by their members in congrefs, on that day acceded thereto, and compleated the fame.

NEW-HAMPSHIRE,

MASSACHUSETTS-BAY,

S Jofiah Bartlett,
John Wentworth, jun.

John Hancock,
Samuel Adams,

Elbridge Gerry,
Francis Dana,
James Lovell,
Samuel Holten.

William Ellery,

A COL

In CONGRESS, at EXETER, Jan. 5, 1776.

WE

E, the members of the congrefs of the colony of NewHampshire, chofen and appointed by the free fuffrages of the people of faid colony, and authorised and impowered by them to meet together, and ufe fuch means, and purfue fuch measures, as we fhall judge beft for the public good; and in particular to establish fome form of government, provided that measure should be recommended by the Continental Congress; and a recommendation to that purpose having been tranfmitted to us from the faid Congrefs; have taken into our ferious confideration the unhappy circumftances into which this colony is involved, by means of many grievous and oppreffive acts of the British Parliament, depriving us of our native and conftitutional rights and privileges; to enforce obedience to which acts, a powerful fleet and army have been fent into this country, by the miniftry of Great Britain, who have exercifed a wanton and cruel abuse of their power, in destroying the lives and properties of the colonists, in many places, with fire and fword, taking the fhips and lading from many of the honeft and induftrious inhabitants of this colony, employed in commerce, agreeable to the laws and customs a long time used here:

The