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== Before the Constitution: The Articles of Confederation ==

== Before the Constitution: The Articles of Confederation ==

The "United States of America" existed before the Constitution was written and approved.  Written in 1777 (a year after the Declaration of Independence) and adopted by all 13 colonies by 1781, the "Articles of Confederation" brought together the 13 colonies while they were still fighting in the American Revolution to win independence from the King of England.  The Articles of Confederation had 13 Articles, but did not establish a federal executive branch (now led by the president) or a federal judiciary.  Instead, nearly all the power remained in the hands of the States, the former colonies.  Each State had equal power in the Continental Congress established by the Articles of Confederation. <ref>http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/artconf.asp</ref>

The "United States of America" existed before the Constitution was written and approved.  Written in 1777 (a year after the Declaration of Independence) and adopted by all 13 colonies by 1781, the "Articles of Confederation" brought together the 13 colonies while they were still fighting in the American Revolution to win independence from the King of England.  The Articles of Confederation had 13 Articles, but did not establish a federal executive branch (now led by the president) or a federal judiciary.  Instead, nearly all the power remained in the hands of the States, the former colonies.  Each State had equal power in the Continental Congress established by the Articles of Confederation.<ref>http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/artconf.asp</ref> A major defect to the Articles of Confederation is that unanimous approval was required to amend it - unanimity is almost impossible to attain for any good law.

Only a few good things were achieved after the Articles of Confederation were adopted, most notably the passage by Congress of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 to set rules for the settlement and eventual creation of what became the new states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin, which were "northwest" of the original 13 colonies.<ref>http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/nworder.asp</ref>  

Only a few good things were achieved after the Articles of Confederation were adopted, most notably the passage by Congress of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 to set rules for the settlement and eventual creation of what became the new states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin, which were "northwest" of the original 13 colonies.<ref>http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/nworder.asp</ref>