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The Articles of Confederation were designed to protect the power and autonomy of the states coming together in this confederation. The national government consisted solely of a weak unicameral (one-house) legislature; there was no executive or judicial branch. It had only those powers expressly delegated to it by the states, such as appointing army officers, waging war, controlling the post office, and negotiating with Indian tribes. Any powers not specifically given to the national government by the Articles of Confederation were reserved to the states.

Delegates to the Confederation Congress were appointed by state legislatures. To ensure equality among the states, each state—regardless of its size or the number of delegates it sent—had a single vote in Congress (as had been the practice in the First and Second Continental Congresses). A state cast its vote in accordance with the votes of the majority of its delegates; if a state could not achieve a majority among its delegates on a particular vote, it would abstain from voting.²³ Passage of legislation required at least nine of the thirteen votes, and amendment of the Articles of Confederation required a unanimous vote.