586 



THE STANDARD DICTIONARY OF FACTS 



sentatives of 100 members elected for two years. 

 Any bill may originate in either house. The 

 House of Representatives has the right to 

 impeach; the Senate tries cases of impeach- 

 ment. Senators and Representatives must be 

 citizens, the former LV> years of age and the 

 latter 21, and both must have resided in the 

 State two years, and in the county or district 

 one year next before election. The chief execu- 

 tive officer of the State is the governor, elected 

 for two years. He is commander-in-chief of the 

 militia; lie can appoint to executive offices 

 which have become vacant, has unlimited par- 

 doning power (but not in cases of impeachment), 

 and may call special sessions of the Legislature. 

 He has a veto which may be overridden by a 

 two-thirds majority of the members of each 

 house. Other officials elected for two years are 

 the treasurer, auditor, attorney-general, super- 

 intendent of public instruction, and commis- 

 sioner of mines, manufactures and agriculture. 



Articles of Confederation. While 

 the Declaration of Independence was under 

 consideration in the Continental Congress, and 

 before it was finally agreed upon, measures 

 were taken for the establishment of a consti- 

 tutional form of government; and on the llth 

 of June, 1776, it was "Resolved, That a com- 

 mittee be appointed to prepare and digest the 

 form of a confederation to be entered into be- 

 tween these Colonies"; which committee was 

 appointed the next day, June 12, and con- 

 sisted of a member from each Colony, namely: 

 Mr. Bartlett, Mr. S. Adams, Mr. Hopkins, Mr. 

 Sherman, Mr. R. R. Livingston, Mr. Dickinson, 

 Mr. McKean, Mr. Stone, Mr. Nelson, Mr. Hewes, 

 Mr. E. Rutledge, and Mr. Gwinnett. On the 

 12th of July, 1776, the committee reported a 

 draught of the Articles of Confederation, which 

 was printed for the use of the members under 

 the strictest injunctions of secrecy. 



This report underwent a thorough discussion 

 in Congress, from time to time, until the 15th 

 of November, 1777; on which day, "Articles 

 of Confederation and Perpetual Union" were 

 finally agreed to in form, and they were directed 

 to be proposed to the legislatures of all the 

 United States, and if approved by them, they 

 were advised to authorize their delegates to 

 ratify the same in the Congress of the United 

 States; and in that event they were to become 

 conclusive. On the 17th of November, 1777, 

 the Congress agreed upon the form of a circular 

 letter to accompany the Articles of Confedera- 

 tion, which concluded with a recommendation 

 to each of the several legislatures "to invest its 

 delegates with competent powers, ultimately, 

 and hi the name and behalf of the State, to sub- 

 scribe articles of confederation and perpetual 

 union of the United States, and to attend Con- 

 gress for that purpose on or before the 10th day 

 of March next." This letter was signed by the 

 President of Congress and sent, with a copy of 

 the articles, to each State legislature. 



On the 26th of June, 1778, Congress agreed 

 upon the form of a ratification of the Articles 

 of Confederation, and directed a copy of the 

 articles and the ratification to be engrossed on 

 parchment; which, on the 9th of July, 1778, 

 having been examined and the blanks filled, 



was signed by the delegates of New Hampshire, 

 Massachusetts Bay, Rhode Island and. Prov- 

 idence Plantations, Connecticut, New York, 

 Pennsylvania, Virginia, and South Carolina. 

 Congress then directed that a circular letter be 

 addressed to the States whose delegates \\ere 

 not present, or being present, conceived they 

 were not authorized to sign the ratification] 

 informing them how many and what States had 

 ratified the Articles of Confederation, and de- 

 siring them, with all convenient dispatch, to 

 authorize their delegates to ratify the same. 

 Of these States, North Carolina ratified on the 

 21st and Georgia on the 24th of July, 1778; 

 New Jersey on the 26th of November following; 

 Delaware on the 5th of May, 1779; Maryland 

 on the 1st of March, 1781; and on the 2d of 

 March, 1781, Congress assembled under the new 

 form of government. 



ACT OF CONFEDERATION OF THE UNITED 

 STATES OF AMERICA 



TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, Wl TIIK 

 UNDERSIGNED DELEGATES OF THE STATES AFFIXED TO 

 OUR NAMES, SEND GREETING. 



Whereas the Delegates of the United States of Amer- 

 ica in Congress assembled did on the loth day <>f No- 

 vember in the Year of our Lord One Thousand Seven 

 Hundred and Seventy seven, and in the Second Year 

 of the Independence of America agree to certain articles 

 of Confederation and perpetual Union between the states 

 of Newhampshire, Massachusetts-bay, Rhodeialand and 

 Providence Plantations, Connecticut, New Yoi 

 Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, 

 North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia in the 

 Words following, viz. 



"ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION AND PERPETUAL UNION 

 BETWEEN THE STATES OF NEWHAMPSHIRE, MASSACHU- 

 SETTS-BAY, RHODEISLAND AND PROVIDENCE PLANTA- 

 TIONS, CONNECTICUT, NEW YORK, Xi:\V JERSEY, PENN- 

 SYLVANIA, DELAWARE, MARYLAND, VIRGINIA, NORTH 

 CAROLINA, SOUTH CAROLINA AND GEORGIA. 



ARTICLE i. The Stile of this confederacy shall be 

 "The United States of America." 



ARTICLE n. Each State retains its Sovereignty, free- 

 dom and independence, and every Power, Jurisdiction 

 and right, which is not by this confederation expressly 

 delegated to the United States in Congress assembled. 



ARTICLE in. The said states hereby severally enter 

 into a firm league of friendship with each other, for 

 their common defence, the security of their Liberties, 

 and their mutual and general welfare, binding them- 

 selves to assist each other, against all force offered to, 

 or attacks made upon them, or any of them, on account 

 of religion, sovereignty, trade, or any other pretence 

 whatever. 



ARTICLE iv. The better to secure and perpetuate 

 mutual friendship and intercourse among the people 

 of the different states in this union, the free inhabitants 

 of each of these states, paupers, vagabonds and fugi- 

 tives from Justice excepted, shall be entitled 1<> all 

 privileges and immunities of free citizens in the several 

 states; and the people of each state shall have free in- 

 gress and regress to and from any other state, and shall 

 enjoy therein all the privileges of trade and commerce, 

 subject to the same duties, impositions and restrictions 

 as the inhabitants thereof respectively, provided that 

 such restrictions shall not extend so far as to prevent 

 the removal of property imported into any state, to 

 any other state of which the Owner is an inhabitant; 

 provided also that no imposition, duties or restriction 

 shall be laid by any state, on the property of the united 

 states, or either of them. 



If any Person guilty of, or charged with treason, 

 felony, or other high misdemeanor in any state, shall 

 flee, from Justice, and be found in any of the united 

 states, he shall upon demand of the Governor or execu- 

 tive power, of the state from which he fled, be delivered 

 up and removed to the state having jurisdiction of his 

 offence. 



Full faith and credit shall be given in each of these 

 states to the records, acts and judicial proceedings of 

 the courts and magistrates of every other state. 



ARTICLE v. For the more convenient management 

 of the general interest of the united states, delegates 

 shall be annually appointed in such manner as the legis- 



