The Articles of Confederation enacted in 1777 was the first attempt at a document of self-governance. The federal government would prove to be too weak to be effective.
Today, we can see it in the function (or dysfunction) of the United Nations. Those who do not learn from history are destined to repeat it.
For our discussion on slavery and the Civil War, the most important point of this document is the choosing of the word “state.”
Why did the representatives endorse the use of “state?” Why not province? Or county? Or parish?
Because “state” relates to an independent power, a nation.
The United States of America could be rendered the United Nations of America. This was a political union of nations primarily for defense and diplomacy. There is no mention of slavery.
It is the definition of “state” that underlies the entire “states’ rights” conversation.