Page 221 - Afrika Must Unite

206 AFRICA MUST UNITE
union that had been established under the confederation articles
accepted in 1777 and operated between 1781 and 1789. The
constitution recognized a common citizenship for the whole
union, and gave powers to the federal government to exercise
such authority as was expressly delegated to it. These powers
which are extremely wide, are set out under Article One Section
8 of the constitution as follows:
T h e Congress shall have pow er to lay and collect taxes, duties,
im ports and excise, to p ay the debts and provide for the com m on
defence and general w elfare of the U nited States; but all duties,
im ports and excise shall be uniform throughout the U nited
States;
T o borrow m oney on the credit of the U nited States; to regu­
late com m erce w ith foreign nations, and am ong the several
states, and w ith the In d ian tribes; to establish a uniform rule of
naturalization, and uniform law s on the subject of bankruptcies
throughout the U nited States;
T o coin m oney, regulate the value thereof, and of foreign coin,
and fix the standards of w eights and m easures;
T o provide for the punishm ent of counterfeiting the securities
and current coin of the U nited States;
T o establish post-offices and post-roads;
T o prom ote the progress of science and useful arts, b y securing
for lim ited tim es to authors and inventors the exclusive right to
their respective w ritings and discoveries;
T o constitute tribunals inferior to the Suprem e Court;
T o define and punish piracies and felonies com m itted on the
high seas, and offences against the law of nations;
T o declare w ar, grant letters of m arque and reprisal, and
m ake rules concerning captures on land and w ater;
T o raise and support arm ies, but no appropriation of m oney
to that use shall be for a longer term than tw o years;
T o provide and m aintain a navy;
T o m ake rules for the governm ent and regulation of the land
and naval forces;
T o provide for calling forth the m ilitia to execute the law s of
the U nion, suppress insurrections and repel invasions;
T o provide for organizing, arm ing and disciplining the
m ilitia, and for governing such part of them as m ay be em ployed
in the service of the U nited States, reserving to the states respec­
tively, the appointm ent of the officers, and the authority of