Confederacy

intern. law, is an agreement between two or more states or nations, by which they unite for their mutual protection and good. This term is applied to such agreement between two independent nations, but it is used to signify the union of different states of the same nation, as the confederacy of the states. The original thirteen states in 1781, adopted for their fed-, eral government the “ Articles of confederation and perpetual union between the States,” which continued in force until the present constitution of the United States went into full operation on the 30th day of April, 1789, when President Washington was sworn into office.

Vide 1 Story on the Const. B. 2, c. 3 and 4.