| n. | 1. | The act of confederating; a league; a compact for mutual support; alliance, particularly of princes, nations, or states. | |||
| 2. | The parties that are confederated, considered as a unit; a confederacy.
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| Noun | 1. | confederation - the state of being allied or confederated Synonyms: alliance |
| 2. | confederation - a union of political organizations Synonyms: confederacy, federation | |
| 3. | confederation - the act of forming an alliance or confederation Synonyms: alliance |
CONFEDERATION, government. The name given to that form of government which
the American colonies, on shaking off the British yoke, devised for their
mutual safety and government.
2. The articles of confederation, (q.v.) were finally adopted on the
15th of November, 1777, and with the exception of Maryland, which, however,
afterwards also agreed to them, were speedily adopted by the United States,
and by which they were formed into a federal @bod y, and went into force on
the first day of March, 1781; 1 Story Const. Sec. 225; and so remained until
the adoption of the present constitution, which acquired the force of the
supreme law of the land on the first Wednesday of March, 1789. 5 Wheat. R.
420. Vide Articles of Confederation.