How we cite our quotes: (Article.Sentence)
Quote #1
No State shall be represented in Congress by less than two, nor more than seven members. (5.2)
Why bother apportioning more delegates to some states? After all, every state still got one vote. One answer is influence. Early American politicians spent a lot of time trying to change each other's minds and build consensus. More members meant more of a voice in Congress.
Quote #2
In determining questions in the United States in Congress assembled, each State shall have one vote. (5.4)
Nowadays, most people would probably think this rule, designed to protect the minority populations in small states, was downright whacky. It would be the same as if California, with a population of tens of millions of people, had the same number of representatives as Montana, which has a population of mostly deer.
Quote #3
All charges of war, and all other expenses that shall be incurred for the common defense or general welfare, and allowed by the United States in Congress assembled, shall be defrayed out of a common treasury, which shall be supplied by the several States in proportion to the value of all land within each State. (8.1)
In other words, the richer a state was, the more they had to pay in taxes. There was much debate over how this should be measured (in terms of land or property value). In the end, large states were asked to pay more taxes even though they didn't get more votes, which sounded a little bit like "taxation without representation" to Anti-Federalists.
Quote #4
And the Articles of this Confederation shall be inviolably observed by every State, and the Union shall be perpetual; nor shall any alteration at any time hereafter be made in any of them; unless such alteration be agreed to in a Congress of the United States, and be afterwards confirmed by the legislatures of every State. (13.2)
One of the biggest problems with the Articles is that they were impossible to amend—you were not going to get thirteen states to agree unanimously on big changes to the government. No wonder they decided to scrap the whole thing after planning to "revise" it at the Annapolis Convention.
Quote #5
And we do further solemnly plight and engage the faith of our respective constituents, that they shall abide by the determinations of the United States in Congress assembled, on all questions, which by the said Confederation are submitted to them. (13.4)
This is the sentence Daniel Shays ignored when he rebelled against the government. Even in the politics of today, many people feel that they don't have to follow laws they disagree with.