While the Declaration of Independence was under consideration in the Second Continental Congress, and before it was finally agreed upon, measures were taken for the establishment of a constitutional form of government.
On June 11, 1776, it was ‘‘Resolved, That a committee be appointed to prepare and digest the form of a confederation to be entered into between these Colonies’’
Benjamin Franklin had drawn up a plan for “Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union.” While some delegates, such as Thomas Jefferson, supported Franklin’s proposal, many others were strongly opposed.
Franklin introduced his plan before Congress on July 21, but stated that it should be viewed as a draft for when Congress was interested in reaching a more formal proposal. Congress tabled the plan.
The disagreements delayed final discussions of confederation until October of 1777. By then, the British capture of Philadelphia had made the issue more urgent.
Delegates finally formulated the Articles of Confederation, in which they agreed to state-by-state voting and proportional state tax burdens based on land values, though they left the issue of state claims to western lands unresolved.
The Continental Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation, the first constitution of the United States, on November 15, 1777.
The Articles of Confederation served as the written document that established the functions of the national government of the United States after it declared independence from Great Britain.
It established a weak central government that mostly, but not entirely, prevented the individual states from conducting their own foreign diplomacy.
The need for a stronger Federal government soon became apparent and eventually led to the Constitutional Convention in 1787. The present United States Constitution replaced the Articles of Confederation on March 4, 1789.
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