The Articles of Confederation

Franklin tries to demonstrate for his colleagues in the Continental Congress that a unified system of governance is the correct move for the nascent nation. He uses logical appeals and logistical reason to show in the Articles of Confederation that this is the best course of action. Franklin is a supporter of independence from Britain but knows that many of his fellow delegates are not in favor. As a result, this document makes only a few explicit references to the current relationship between Britain and its American colonies. One of these is the invocation of the “unjust War” that has broken out (Conclusion, 263). He also references other issues and actions that the Continental Congress has taken up. While he knows it is unlikely that his document will be adopted, he is nevertheless trying to persuade his contemporaries to at least be mindful of the possibility he is offering, hence his devotion to presenting this information in the most reasonable and logistically sound way possible.

In the concluding paragraph of this document, Franklin outlines the potential point at which the confederation of states would be disbanded: