Articles of confederation analysis sheet introduction: in 1777, the continental congress drafted the original constitution for the union of the states, known as the articles of confederation. a confederation is a league or an alliance of states that agree to work together. the articles reflected the principles of the declaration of independence and rejected the centralized power of the british empire. instead, congress designed a loose confederation of 13 states that acted independently of one another. directions: use the articles of confederation to complete the questions and statements below. 1. the articles of confederation is divided into articles article ii 2. each state keeps its and