Articles of Confederation

American  

[ahr-ti-kuhlz uhv kuhn-fed-uh-rey-shuhn] / ˈɑr tɪ kəlz əv kənˌfɛd əˈreɪ ʃən /

noun

(used with a plural verb)

1. the first constitution of the 13 American states, adopted in 1781 and replaced in 1789 by the Constitution of the United States.

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Articles of Confederation British  

plural noun

1. the agreement made by the original 13 states in 1777 establishing a confederacy to be known as the United States of America; replaced by the Constitution of 1788

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Articles of Confederation Cultural  

1. An agreement among the thirteen original states, approved in 1781, that provided a loose federal government before the present Constitution went into effect in 1789. There was no chief executive or judiciary, and the legislature of the Confederation had no authority to collect taxes.

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Example Sentences

Essentially, the interstate compact clause lets the states gin up ad hoc articles of confederation.

From Slate • Apr. 3, 2020

President Nyerere signed the articles of confederation that united his mainland nation of Tanganyika with the tiny, troublesome offshore island state of Zanzibar.

From Time Magazine Archive

To most of them it was not clear whether they were going merely to patch up the articles of confederation, or to strike out into a new and very different path.

From The Critical Period of American History by Fiske, John

The chairman then put the following resolution to a vote: That we would remain true to the articles of confederation and to the German cause, with all our means and at every sacrifice.

From Waldfried A Novel by Auerbach, Berthold

Our articles of confederation, being by our means translated, and published here, have given an appearance of consistence and firmness to the American States and government, that begins to make them considerable.

From The Diplomatic Correspondence of the American Revolution, Vol. I by Sparks, Jared