
                   *** ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION ***
      
      To all to whom these Presents shall come, we the undersigned Delegates
      of the States affixed to our Names send greeting. 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.
      
      
  I            The Stile of this Confederacy shall be 
                  "The United States of America".
      
  II  Each state retains its sovereignty, freedom, and
      independence, and every power, jurisdiction, and right,  which is
      not by this Confederation expressly delegated  to the United
      States, in Congress assembled.
      
  III The said States hereby severally enter into a firm league
      of friendship with each other, for their common defense, the
      security of their liberties, and their mutual and general 
      welfare, binding themselves to assist each other, against all 
      force offered to, or attacks made upon them, or any of them, on
      account of religion, sovereignty, trade, or any other pretense
      whatever.
      
  IV  The better to secure and perpetuate mutual friendship and
      intercourse among the people of the different States in this
      Union, the free inhabitants of each of these States, paupers,
      vagabonds, and fugitives from justice excepted, shall be entitled
      to all privileges and immunities of free citizens in the several
      States; and the people of each State shall free ingress and
      regress to and from any other State, and shall enjoy therein all
      the privileges of trade and commerce, subject to the same duties,
      impositions, and restrictions as the inhabitants thereof
      respectively, provided that such restrictions shall not extend so
      far as to prevent the removal of property imported into any
      State, to any other State, of which the owner is an inhabitant;
      provided also that no imposition, duties or restriction shall be
      laid by any State, on the property of the United States, or
      either of them.
      
      If any person guilty of, or charged with, treason, felony, or
      other high misdemeanor in any State, shall flee from justice, and
      be found in any of the United States, he shall, upon demand of
      the Governor or executive power of the State from which he fled,
      be delivered up and removed to the State having jurisdiction of
      his offense.
      
      Full faith and credit shall be given in each of these States to
      the records, acts, and judicial proceedings of the courts and
      magistrates of every other State.
      
  V   For the most complete management of the general interests of
      the United States, delegates shall be appointed in such manner as
      the legislatures of each State shall direct, to meet in Congress
      on the first Monday in November, in every year, with a
      powerreserved to each State to recall its delegates, or any of
      them, at any time within the year, and to send others in their
      stead for the remainder of the year.
      
      No State shall be represented in Congress by less than two, nor
      more than seven members; and no person shall be capable of being
      a delegate for more than three years in any term of six years;
      nor shall any person, being a delegate, be capable of holding any
      office under the United States, for which he, or another for his
      benefit, receives any salary, fees or emolument of any kind.
      
      Each State shall maintain its own delegates in a meeting of the
      States, and while they act as members of the committee of the
      States.
      
      In determining questions in the United States in Congress 
      assembled, each State shall have one vote. Freedom of speech and
      debate in Congress shall not be impeached or questioned in any
      court or place out of Congress, and the members of Congress shall
      be protected in their persons from arrests or imprisonments,
      during the time of their going to and from, and attendence on
      Congress, except for treason, felony, or breach of the peace.
      
  VI  No State without the consent of the United States in Congress
      assembled, shall send any embassy to, or receive any embassy
      from, or enter into any conference, agreement, alliance or treaty
      with any King, Prince or State; nor shall any person holding any
      office of profit or trust under the United States, or any of
      them, accept any present, emolument, office or title of any kind
      whatever from any King, Prince or foreign State; nor shall the
      United States in Congress assembled, or any of them, grant any
      title of nobility. No two or more States shall enter into any
      treaty, confederation or alliance whatever between them, without 
      the consent of the United States in Congress assembled, 
      specifying accurately the purposes for which the same is to be
      entered into, and how long it shall continue.
      
      No State shall lay any imposts or duties, which may interfere 
      with any stipulations in treaties, entered into by the United 
      States in Congress assembled, with any King, Prince or State, in
      pursuance of any treaties already proposed by Congress, to the
      courts of France and Spain.
      
      No vessel of war shall be kept up in time of peace by any State, 
      except such number only, as shall be deemed necessary by the 
      United States in Congress assembled, for the defense of such 
      State, or its people nor shall any body of forces be kept up by
      any State in time of peace, except such number only, as in the
      judgement of the United States in Congress assembled, to garrison
      the forts necessary for the defense of such State;  but every
      State shall always keep up a well-regulated and disciplined
      militia, sufficiently armed and accoutered, and shall provide and
      constantly have ready for use, in public stores, a due number of
      field pieces and tents, and a proper quantity of arms, ammunition
      and camp equipage.
      
      No State shall engage in any war without the consent of the 
      United States in Congress assembled, unless such State be 
      actually invaded or shall have received certain advice
      of a resolution being formed by some nation of Indians to invade
      such State, and the danger is so imminent as not to admit of a
      delay till the United States in Congress assembled can be
      constituted; nor shall any State grant commissions to any ships or
      vessels of war, nor letters of marque or reprisal, except it be
      affirmed by the United States in Congress assembled, and then only
      against the Kingdom or State and the subjects thereof, against
      which war has been so declared, and under such regulations as
      shall be established by the United States in Congress assembled,
      unless such State be infested by pirates, in which case vessels of
      war may be fitted out for that occasion, and kept so long as the
      danger shall continue, or until the United States in Congress
      assembled shall determine otherwise.
      
  VII When land forces are raised by any State for the common
      defense, all officers of or under the rank of colonel, shall be
      appointed by the legislature of each State respectively, by whom
      such forces shall be raised, or in such manner as such State
      shall direct, and all vacancies shall be filled up by the State
      which first made the appointment.
      
  VIII  All charges of war, and all other expenses that shall be
      incurred for the common defense or general welfare, and allowed
      by the United States in Congress assembled, shall be defrayed out
      of a common treasury, which shall be supplied by the several
      States in proportion to the value of all land within each State,
      granted or surveyed for any person, as such land and the
      buildings and improvements thereon shall be estimated according
      to such mode as the United States in Congress assembled, shall
      from time to time direct and appoint.
      
      The taxes for paying that proportion shall be laid and levied by
      the authority at direction of the legislatures of the several
      States within the time agreed upon by the 
      