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Show 32 I in vert the qncslion, and ask, Shall two millions of people put it into the power of one million to govern them as they please? It is pretended, too, that the smaller colonies will he in danger from the greater. Speak in hone 't langnnge, aud say, the minority will be in danger from the mujorily. And is there an as embly on earth where this danger may not be equally pretended? The truth is, thai our proccedinrrs will then Le consenlaneous with the interests of the b majority, and so they ought to Lc. Tho probability is much greater that the larger Stales will disagree, than that they will combine. I defy the wit of man to invent a possible case, or to suggest any one thing on earth, which shall bo for the interests of Virginia, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts, and which will not also be for the interests of the other States. These Articles, reported July 12, '7 6, were debated from day to day, and Limo to time, for two years; wore ratified July 9, '78, by ten Stn.tcs; by Now J crscy, on the 2GLh of N ovemLcr of the same year; and by Delaware, on the 23d of February following. Maryland, alone, hold o[ two years more, acceding to them, March 1, '81, and thus closing the obligation. Following arc the .Articles :- ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION AND PERPETUAL UNION BETWEEN THE STATES. To all to wll om these Pr·esenls shall come, We, the un· dersigned Delegates of the States affixed to our names, send greeting.-Whereas, the Delegates of the U nitcd States of .America, in Congress assembled, did, on the 15th day of November, in tho Year of our Lord 1777, and in the Second Y car of the I ndcpendcncc of .America, agree to certain .Articles of Confederation and peq etual Union between the SLates of N cw Jin,mp, hire, Mas::;achnsctts-bay, lthode Island and Provi<lence Pln,niations, Connecticut, N cw York, Now J crscy, Pcnnsyl vania, Delaware, :Mary· .· AR'l'TCLES OF CONFEDE.RA.'l'lON. 33 land, Virrrinin,, N orLh Carolina, Sonth Carolina, and Georgia, iu the words following, vit..: ttArt/clr•s of Confc>d('ralion anrl Per1 )ciual Un'ion between the lutes nf Nl'lu llwnpsh £re, JJ!assa('h wwtts Bay, Rhode J. .. Janrl and Providence Plantations, Connecticut, New Y<)')'k, New Je1·sey, Pennsylvania, Delawar·e JJ[a' ryland, Vi1·gin£a, Nu1'lh Carolina, South Carolin~ and Gcor·yia. ~RTICLI!~ 1. r.rhc style of this Confederacy shalt be "The Ut11Lcd SLates of America." ArtTIU LJ~ 2. E<tch StaLe retains iLs sovcrcirrnty freedom l'] 1-)' an~ llll.cpcm1encc, an<l every power, jurisdiction and right, wl11eh 1s not Ly thi · confederation expressly delcrra.Lcd to tbe UniLecl States in CongreHs as. embleu . 0 ~tt'L'lCLJ~; 3. 1:'he sn.i<l StaLes hereby severally enter into a ftrm lcn,guc of fri endship with each other, for their common defense, the security of their liberties, and Lh ir mutual and general welfare, Liuding themselves to as ist each other agn.i nst all force offered to, or n.ttacks mn<lc upon litem, or any of them, on nccounL of religion, sovereignty, trad , or any other pretense whatever. _Anrl'r .LE 4. The better Lo sccnrc and pcqwtnnte mutual fnendsl11p n.nd intercourse among the people of the different StaLes in this Union, the free inhabitants of each of these Statcs-paup rs, vngabondH, n.nd fugitives from jnsLi ·c cxccpte~ l-. shall be entitled Lo all privileges and immunities of free c_1 L1zcns in the several taLes ; n.nd tltc people of each StaLe shall lutvc free ingrc. s and regress to and from any other SLate, and shall enjoy therein all tho privilcrrcs of trade anc~ c?mmerce, sn bjeuL to the same du Lies, i m pon i Lions a~Hl rest n cLtOIL , as Lhc inhalJita.nts thereof respectively, provHled that such rest ric Lion shall not cxLend so far as to prevent the removal of properly, intporLeu inLo any StaLe, to any ~Lher Slalo of which the owner is an inltabiLant |