This phrase recurs throughout the Articles of Confederation. In fact, you almost never see "the United States" without that big ol' qualifier. The repeating (and repeating, and repeating) phrase em...

This is where the Articles start to look like an exercise in contradiction. In spite of the states not wanting to get too buddy-buddy and"nation-y" with each other, the writers use the word "friend...

Ah, yes. The answer to the age-old question, "What are friends for?" To help you fight battles. The writers of the Articles of Confederation clearly had warfare heavy on their brains. The document...