After winning its independence from Great Britain in the Revolutionary War, the new country situated on the eastern seaboard of North America needed to fashion some form of governmental system. The Articles of Confederation represent the first constitutional agreement made between the 13 American states. There was a need for unity among the new states that were created as a result of the American Revolution. The relative powers of the individual states and the Continental Congress also needed to be defined for the young country. These realities led Congress to entrust John Dickinson with the drafting of a federal constitution.
This federal constitution was called the Articles of Confederation and was submitted to the Second Continental Congress on July 12, 1776. Three main points for Congress to debate existed in this new document:
the apportionment of taxes according to the populationthe granting of 1 vote per statethe right of the federal government to dispose of public lands in the West
