Founding America (Barnes & Noble Classics) - Jack N. Rakove [42]
By order of Congress,
JOHN HANCOCK,
President.
Attested,
CHARLES THOMSON,
Secretary. PHILADELPHIA, JULY 6TH, 1775.
—Benjamin Franklin—
PLAN OF CONFEDERATION
JULY 21, 1775
ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION AND perpetual Union, entred intoproposed by the Delegates of the several Colonies of New Hampshire, &c, in general Congress met at Philadelphia, May 10, 1775.
ART. I.
The Name of this Confederacy shall henceforth be The United Colonies of North America.
ART. II.
The said United Colonies hereby severally enter into a firm League of Friendship with each other, binding on themselves and their Posterity, for their common Defence,against their Enemies for the Security of their Liberties and Propertys, the Safety of their Persons and Families, and theirmutual and general Welfare.
ART. III.
That each Colony shall enjoy and retain as much as it may think fit of its own present Laws, Customs, Rights,Privileges, and peculiar Jurisdictions within its own Limits; and may amend its own Constitution as shall seem best to its own Assembly or Convention.
ART. IV.
That for the more convenient Management of general Interests, Delegates shall be annually elected in each Colony to meet in General Congress at such Time and Place as shall be agreed on inthe next preceding Congress. Only where particular Circumstances do not make a Deviation necessary, it is understood to be a Rule, that each succeeding Congress be held in a different Colony till the whole Number be gone through, and so in perpetual Rotation; and that accordingly the next Congress after the present shall be held at Annapolis in Maryland.
ART. V.
That the Power and Duty of the Congress shall extend to the Determining on War and Peace, to sending and receiving ambassadors, and entring into Alliances, [the Reconciliation with Great Britain;] the Settling all Disputes and Differences between Colony and Colony about Limits or any other cause if such should arise; and the Planting of new Colonies when proper.
The Congress shall also makesuch generalOrdinances as tho’ necessary to the General Welfare, particular Assembliescannot be competent to; viz. that may relate to our general Commerce ; or general Currency; to the Establishment of Posts; and the Regulation of our common Forces. The Congress shall also have the Appointment of all General Officers, civil and military, appertaining to the general Confederacy, such as General Treasurer, Secretary, &c.
ART. VI.
All Charges of Wars, and all other general Expences to be incurr’d for the common Welfare, shall be defray’d out of a common Treasury, which is to be supply’d by each Colony in proportion to its Number of Male Polls between 16 and 60 Years of Age; the Taxes for paying that proportion are to be laid and levied by the Laws of each Colony.
ART. VII.
The Number of Delegates to be elected and sent to the Congress by each Colony, shall be regulated from time to time by the Number of such Polls return’d; so as that one Delegate be allowed for every [5000] Polls. And the Delegates are to bring with them to every Congress, an authenticated Return of the number of Polls in the respective Provinces which is to be annually triennially taken for the Purposes above mentioned.
ART. VIII.
At every Meeting of the Congress One half of the Members return’ d exclusive of Proxies be necessary to make a Quorum, and Each Delegate at the Congress, shall have a Vote in all Cases; and if necessarily absent, shall be allowed to appoint any other Delegate from the same Colony to be his Proxy, who may vote for him.
ART. IX.
An executive Council shall be appointed by the Congress out of their own Body, consisting of [12] Persons; of whom in the first Appointment one Third, viz. [4],