Thirteen Articles

It's pretty simple. The Articles of Confederation consists of thirteen short sections (which—surprise—are labeled "Articles I-XIII"), plus a preamble (or introduction) and conclusion. Easy-peasy lemon squeezy.

The thirteen articles are broken down into clauses, or sentences, which each detail a law of the new government. It doesn't get much more straightforward for that—well, unless you have a King. Like other legal charters, such as the Constitution and the attached Bill of Rights, the Articles of Confederation were written to be as concise and organized as possible. Since the United States was supposed to be a "perpetual," (Conclusion.3) or permanent union.

How it Breaks Down

Intro

The preamble to the Articles of Confederation announces the purpose of the document: to provide for a union between the thirteen former British colonies.

Articles 1-13

The main body of the text specifies what the new government can or cannot do. It details everything from "the stile of the confederacy" (1.1) to laws regarding war and relations with the American Indians. But the key point here is that most governing powers are left to the states.

What isn't in the Articles of Confederation is just as important as what is—for example, under this document, the national government didn't even have the ability to collect taxes, only ask for them nicely.

Conclusion

Claiming God as their witness, the delegates signed the document and sent it to the states. They only had to wait four years for each state to agree to abide by the rules of the new union. Even while some states were still on the fence, the document was the effective charter of government for the nation.