To the patriotic and far sighted men who had striven to form a union of the colonies, did the religious differences which frustrated their plans seem fortunate or unfortunate?  Can you see how it came about that we have no state church, that we enjoy religious freedom?  Doesn’t it seem that there must have been a Planner wiser than any man who was working out His own designs?

CHAPTER XVIII.

THE ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION.

WHAT PRECEDED THEM.

The Revolutionary Period.—­The nation was born July 4, 1776.  From that time until the adoption of the articles of confederation in 1781 the people of the United States carried on their governmental affairs by means of a congress “clothed with undefined powers for the general good.”

This congress had, speaking “in the name and by the authority of the good people of these colonies,” issued the declaration of independence; it had entered into an alliance with France; and it had prosecuted the war almost to a successful issue, before it had received any definite warrant for its acts.  Its acts were justified by necessity, and had their authority in the “common consent” of a majority of the people.  During nearly all of the revolutionary war, the people of the colonies were largely “held together by their fears.”

THE ARTICLES THEMSELVES.

Their History.—­But these were pre-eminently a people of peace and good order.  This is shown in part by the spirit and form of the declaration of independence.  They had no idea of allowing themselves to lapse or drift into anarchy.  They understood the necessity for a permanent government.

Accordingly, when, on the eleventh of June, 1776, a committee of congress was appointed to “abolish” one form of government by drafting a declaration of independence, another committee was appointed to frame a plan on which to “institute a new government.”

After more than a month’s deliberation this committee reported its plan, embodied in what is called articles of confederation.  This plan was discussed from time to time, and finally, somewhat modified, was agreed to by congress, November 15, 1777.  It was then submitted to the states for ratification.

In July, 1778, the articles were ratified by ten of the states.  New Jersey ratified in November, 1778, and Delaware in February, 1779.  But the articles were not to become binding until ratified by all the states, and Maryland did not authorize her delegates in congress to sign the instrument in ratification until March 1, 1781. (Maryland claims to have fought through the revolutionary war, not as a member but as an ally of the United States.)

Their peculiarities.—­The articles of confederation were different from our present constitution, both in principle and in method of operation, as follows: