U.S. Articles of Confederation in German from 1778
The Continental Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation, the first constitution of the United States, on November 15, 1777. However, ratification of the Articles of Confederation by all thirteen states did not occur until March 1, 1781. The Articles created a loose confederation of sovereign states and a weak central government, leaving most of the power with the state governments. The need for a stronger Federal government soon became more apparent and eventually led to the Constitutional Convention in 1787. The present United States Constitution replaced the Articles of Confederation on March 4, 1789.
The German version of the U.S. Articles of Confederation was printed in 1778 by colonial printer, Francis Bailey. Printers played an important role at the time as active mediators between the German and English-speaking citizens. In this way, the European ethnic minority groups became involved in the founding of the new state. Bailey remained in the printing business until his death c. 1800. He was one of the few colonial printers to make his own type and was considered a notable typographer.
