PREMIERE ASSEMBLÉE DU CONGRÈS, Francois Godefroy , 1782. LC-USZ62-45328

source, text and picture: http://memory.loc.gov/learn/features/timeline/newnatn/confed/confed.html

 In 1776, the Continental Congress appointed a committee to create a plan for a central government. The committee quickly wrote the Articles of Confederation, which created a loose alliance of the states. While the Articles were drafted quickly, ratification of them was delayed until 1781. The primary sticking point concerned disagreements about how to deal with the western lands claimed by several states. The states without such claims argued that the western lands should be owned by the national government. The states with land claims were reluctant to give up their claims. When Virginia finally gave up most of its claims to western lands, the Articles of Confederation were adopted.