The Articles of Confederation

The Articles of Confederation

The image below shows the first page of the Articles of Confederation. This was the document that first united the 13 original American states, and served as the nation's first constitution up to the adoption of the U.S. Constitution in 1788. Article 1 of the Articles of Confederation officially names the nation as "The United States of America." The image is from the National Archives online collection.

Image from the National Archives

Text, arrangement, and background Copyright 2006 by David Burns. The image shown above is from the National Archives online collection, and is believed to be in the public domain. Images in the public domain may normally be used by teachers and students freely for instructional use. Please credit the National Archives if you use this image.

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