[REVOLUTIONARY WAR]. The New Jersey Gazette. Maryland’s opposition to the Articles of Confederation. Trenton: Isaac Collins, 23 June 1779. Vol. 2, No. 81. 4pp., small folio (362 x 235 mm), browning, few small stains. The Articles of Confederation were the first constitution of the United States, and Maryland played a significant role in their ratification. The Articles of Confederation were drafted in 1777 and formally adopted by the Continental Congress in 1781. Maryland was initially hesitant to ratify the Articles due to concerns about issues related to western land claims. Maryland, unlike some states, had not laid claims to vast western territories. Consequently, Maryland was reluctant to ratify the Articles until states like Virginia, which had extensive western claims, ceded their western land claims to the federal government. Maryland argued that these lands should be used to create new states, rather than benefiting the states that claimed them. The deadlock over the issue of western land claims persisted until 1781 when Virginia finally ceded its claims to the federal government. This action paved the way for Maryland to ratify the Articles of Confederation, and on 1 March 1781, Maryland became the thirteenth and final state to do so, thus formally establishing the United States under the Articles of Confederation. The Articles of Confederation, however, proved to be an imperfect framework for the new nation, leading to the eventual drafting and adoption of the United States Constitution in 1787. The newspaper also includes reports from the front lines of the war with a mention of General George Washington’s headquarters being at Smith’s tavern.