# Presidents under Articles of Confederation **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 14, 2016, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-under-articles-of-confederation/743098 "2016-01-14T02:07:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-under-articles-of-confederation/743098/1 "2016-01-14T02:07:22Z")
Rather than hijack another thread, I wondered were there any notable achievements of the “Presidents” under the Articles of Confederation…the forerunner of our government under the Constitution. > **[Articles of Confederation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Articles_of_Confederation)** > > The Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union was an agreement among the 13 states of the United States, formerly the Thirteen Colonies, that served as the nation's first frame of government. It was debated by the Second Continental Congress at Independence Hall in Philadelphia between July 1776 and November 1777, and finalized by the Congress on November 15, 1777. It came into force on March 1, 1781, after being ratified by all 13 colonial states. A guiding principle of the Articles was ... ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-under-articles-of-confederation/743098/2 "2016-01-14T03:19:00Z")
Henry Laurens resigned after throwing a temper tantrum over the Deane affair, hoping that he’d get reelected as President and vindicated, but it didn’t work, but other than that, not really. All of the Presidents under the Articles of Confederation were prominent men who had had some notable achievements in their lives, and the Confederation Congress accomplished some stuff…winning the American Revolution, establishing the first nationally chartered bank, setting up the Northwest territories and establishing a way for settlers to get land title and so on, but the Presidency was largely a ceremonial one, and the President didn’t really have any power. In fact, the President had less power than an ordinary Congressman, because he wasn’t allowed to participate in congressional debates. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-under-articles-of-confederation/743098/3 "2016-01-14T04:10:08Z")
None of these men were President of the United States. They were President of the United States in Congress Assembled. Sort of like Speaker of the House.