shall be agreed to by nine States; that all bills of credit emitted,
moneys borrowed, or debts contracted by Congress before this
confederation, shall be charges on the United States; that every State
shall abide by the determinations of Congress on all questions
submitted to them by this confederation; that the articles of it shall
be inviolably observed by every State, and that no alteration in any of
the articles shall be made, unless agreed to by Congress, and afterward
confirmed by the legislature of every State.

Such was the substance of this confederation or union. After much
discussion, at thirty-nine sittings, the articles were approved by
Congress, transmitted to the several State Legislatures, and, meeting
with their approbation, were ratified by all the delegates on the 15th
of November, 1778.

Congress maintained an erect posture, although its affairs then wore
the most gloomy aspect. It was under the provisions of this
confederation that the war was afterward carried on, and, considered as
a first essay of legislative wisdom, it discovers a good understanding,
and a respectable knowledge of the structure of society. Had peace been
concluded before the settlement of this confederation, the States would
probably have broken down into so many independent governments, and the
strength of the Union been lost in a number of petty sovereignties.

It is not hazarding much to say that, considering all the
circumstances, it was the best form of government which could have been
framed at that time. Its radical defect arose from its being a
confederation of independent States, in which the central government
had no direct recourse to the people. It required all grants of men or
money to be obtained from the State governments, who were often, during