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Earliest draft of the Articles of Confederation...
Earliest draft of the Articles of Confederation...
Item # 638492
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January 05, 1776
THE LONDON PACKET OR NEW LLOYD'S EVENING POST, England, Jan. 5, 1776 See the handsome lettering in the masthead.
Certainly the most notable content is a complete printing of the Proposed Articles of Confederation created at the Second Continental Congress which began work on May 10, 1775 [note: the report in this issue erroneously notes "May 10, 1773"], principally proposed by Benjamin Franklin. See this hyperlink for considerable detail on the creation of this historic document.
This report is on page 2 and is prefaced with: "The Following is a Copy of the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, entered into by the Delegates of the several Colonies of New Hampshire, Massachusetts, etc., etc., etc....in General Congress met at Philadelphia, May 10 1773" (sic) [typesetting error: should be 1775] It begins with "Article I" and continues with all thirteen articles with the concluding paragraph, all just as seen in the hyperlink as well. Ultimately, in 1777 Congress agreed to a draft that was ratified by twelve of the states. Maryland had several objections, but she finally ratified on February 27, 1781, and the Articles became effective on March 1 by the Continental Congress. This is perhaps the earliest formal draft of this notable document and a significant report for any collection of constitutional history.
The middle of the front page has a letter from Philadelphia which begins: "The din of arms & the clamour of war are the only sounds heard in the woods & cities of North America; those who were Tories are not converts to liberty, and the whole of the inhabitants from Georgia to Nova Scotia are all in martial array determined to face victory or death..." with more (see). Also on the ftpg. is a report concerning General Carleton and Benedict Arnold near Quebec, from before Arnold would turn traitor. A brief item on page 2 notes: "Ministers now give up all hopes of Quebec. They confess that it is gone."
So much more fine reporting on the Revolutionary War, but it all pales in significance to the Articles of Confederation.
Four pages, folio size, a small hole near the top of the front leaf causes loss of just 2 words in the Confederation text, otherwise quite nice.
Category: Revolutionary War
No Longer Available
