Peter Dell formulated the document based on the 1823 Amster Proviso that had given limited powers to Southern Jamsterdavania for the betterment of transportation networks. Peter Dell eventually became the President of Jamsterdavania in 1854 and worked with his Amsterdavania Coalition to refine and draft the Articles.

In 1857, the Parliament evenly split on Articles of Confederation on a first vote and was tabled for a final vote in the next session. In 1858 when Swamptree gained its independence, many members of Parliament changed their vote and rejected the Articles of Confederation.

Peter Dell resigned as President of Jamsterdavania and became the de facto leader of the Amsterdavanian Confederation, which formed a provisional government at Antwa, Amsterdavania.

The Articles of Confederation were adopted in a slightly modified form as the official government of the Amsterdavanian Confederation.

To all to whom these Presents shall come, we the undersigned Delegates of Southern Jamsterdavania hereby compose and accept these Articles of Confederation and perpetual Union between the citizens of Amsterdavania and the Swamptree Commonwealth.

Article I. The Stile of this Confederacy shall be "The Amsterdavanian Confederation".

Article II. Each city and county retains its sovereignty, freedom, and independence, and every power, jurisdiction, and right, which is not by this Confederation expressly delegated to the Amsterdavanian Council.

Article III. The said cities and counties hereby severally enter into a firm league of friendship with each other, for their common defense, the security of their liberties, and their mutual and general welfare, binding themselves to assist each other, against all force offered to, or attacks made upon them, or any of them, on account of religion, sovereignty, trade, or any other pretense whatever.

Article IV. The better to secure and perpetuate mutual friendship and intercourse among the people of the different cities and states in this Union, the free inhabitants of each of these cities and counties, paupers, vagabonds, and fugitives from justice excepted, shall be entitled to all privileges and immunities of free citizens in the several cities and counties; and the people of each city and county shall free ingress and regress to and from any other city or county, and shall enjoy therein all the privileges of trade and commerce, subject to the same duties, impositions, and restrictions as the inhabitants thereof respectively, provided that such restrictions shall not extend so far as to prevent the removal of property imported into any city or county, to any other city or county, of which the owner is an inhabitant; provided also that no imposition, duties or restriction shall be laid by any city or county, on the property of the Amsterdavanian Confederation, or either of them.

If any person guilty of, or charged with, treason, felony, or other high misdemeanor in any city or county, shall flee from justice, and be found in any of the Amsterdavanian Confederation, he shall, upon demand of the mayor or executive power of the city or county from which he fled, be delivered up and removed to the city or county having jurisdiction of his offense.

Full faith and credit shall be given in each of these cities and counties to the records, acts, and judicial proceedings of the courts and magistrates of every other city or county.

Article V. For the most convenient management of the general interests of the Amsterdavanian Confederation, delegates shall be annually appointed in such manner as the legislatures of each city or county shall direct, to meet in Council on the first Monday in November, in every year, with a power reserved to each city or county to recall its delegates, or any of them, at any time within the year, and to send others in their stead for the remainder of the year.

Each city or county shall be represented in Council by less one representative; and no person shall be capable of being a delegate for more than three years in any term of six years; nor shall any person, being a delegate, be capable of holding any office under the Amsterdavanian Confederation, for which he, or another for his benefit, receives any salary, fees or emolument of any kind save military service.

Each city or county shall maintain its own delegates in a meeting of the cities and states, and while they act as members of the committee of Confederation.

In determining questions in the Amsterdavanian Confederation in Council assembled, each city or state shall have one vote.

Freedom of speech and debate in Congress shall not be impeached or questioned in any court or place out of Council, and the members of Council shall be protected in their persons from arrests or imprisonments, during the time of their going to and from, and attendance on Council, except for treason, felony, or breach of the peace.

Article VI. When land forces are raised by any city or state for the common defense, all officers of or under the rank of colonel, shall be appointed by the legislature of each city or county respectively, by whom such forces shall be raised, or in such manner as such city or county shall direct, and all vacancies shall be filled up by the city or state which first made the appointment.

Article VII. All charges of war, and all other expenses that shall be incurred for the common defense or general welfare, and allowed by the Amsterdavanian Confederation in Council assembled, shall be defrayed out of a common treasury, which shall be supplied by the several cities or county in proportion to the value of all land within each county, granted or surveyed for any person, as such land and the buildings and improvements thereon shall be estimated according to such mode as the Amsterdavanian Confederation in Council assembled, shall from time to time direct and appoint.

The taxes for paying that proportion shall be laid and levied by the authority and direction of the legislatures of the several cities and states within the time agreed upon by the Amsterdavanian Confederation in Council assembled.

Article VII. The Amsterdavanian Confederation in Council assembled, shall have the sole and exclusive right and power of determining on peace and war, except in the cases mentioned in the sixth article -- of sending and receiving ambassadors -- entering into treaties and alliances, provided that no treaty of commerce shall be made whereby the legislative power of the respective cities and counties shall be restrained from imposing such imposts and duties on foreigners, as their own people are subjected to, or from prohibiting the exportation or importation of any species of goods or commodities whatsoever -- of establishing rules for deciding in all cases, what captures on land or water shall be legal, and in what manner prizes taken by land or naval forces in the service of the Amsterdavanian Confederation shall be divided or appropriated -- of granting letters of reprisal in times of peace -- appointing courts for the trial of piracies and felonies committed on the high seas and establishing courts for receiving and determining finally appeals in all cases of captures, provided that no member of Council shall be appointed a judge of any of the said courts.

The Amsterdavanian Confederation in Council assembled shall also be the last resort on appeal in all disputes and differences now subsisting or that hereafter may arise between two or more cities or counties concerning boundary, jurisdiction or any other causes whatever; which authority shall always be exercised in the manner following. Whenever the legislative or executive authority or lawful agent of any city or county in controversy with another shall present a petition to Council stating the matter in question and praying for a hearing, notice thereof shall be given by order of Council to the legislative or executive authority of the other city or county in controversy, and a day assigned for the appearance of the parties by their lawful agents, who shall then be directed to appoint by joint consent, commissioners or judges to constitute a court for hearing and determining the matter in question: but if they cannot agree, Council shall name three persons out of each of the cities and counties, and from the list of such persons each party shall alternately strike out one, the petitioners beginning, until the number shall be reduced to thirteen; and from that number not less than seven, nor more than nine names as Council shall direct, shall in the presence of Council be drawn out by lot, and the persons whose names shall be so drawn or any five of them, shall be commissioners or judges, to hear and finally determine the controversy, so always as a major part of the judges who shall hear the cause shall agree in the determination: and if either party shall neglect to attend at the day appointed, without showing reasons, which Council shall judge sufficient, or being present shall refuse to strike, the Council shall proceed to nominate three persons out of each State, and the secretary of Council shall strike in behalf of such party absent or refusing; and the judgment and sentence of the court to be appointed, in the manner before prescribed, shall be final and conclusive

All controversies concerning the private right of soil claimed under different grants of two or more cities or counties, whose jurisdictions as they may respect such lands, and the States which passed such grants are adjusted, the said grants or either of them being at the same time claimed to have originated antecedent to such settlement of jurisdiction, shall on the petition of either party to the Council of the Amsterdavanian Confederation, be finally determined as near as may be in the same manner as is before prescribed for deciding disputes respecting territorial jurisdiction between different cities and states.

The Amsterdavanian Confederation in Council assembled shall also have the sole and exclusive right and power of regulating the alloy and value of coin struck by their own authority -- fixing the standards of weights and measures throughout the Amsterdavanian Confederation -- regulating the trade and managing all affairs with the natives, not members of any of the cities or counties, provided that the legislative right of any city or county within its own limits be not infringed or violated -- establishing or regulating post offices from one city or county to another, throughout all the Amsterdavanian Confederation, and exacting such postage on the papers passing through the same as may be requisite to defray the expenses of the said office -- appointing all officers of the land forces, in the service of the Amsterdavanian Confederation, excepting regimental officers -- appointing all the officers of the naval forces, and commissioning all officers whatever in the service of the Amsterdavanian Confederation -- making rules for the government and regulation of the said land and naval forces, and directing their operations.

The Amsterdavanian Confederation in Council assembled shall have authority to appoint a committee, to sit in the recess of Congress, to be denominated 'A Committee of the Cities and Counties', and to consist of one delegate from each city or county; and to appoint such other committees and civil officers as may be necessary for managing the general affairs of the Amsterdavanian Confederation under their direction.

The Amsterdavanian Confederation in Council assembled shall never engage in a war, nor grant letters of reprisal in time of peace, nor enter into any treaties or alliances, nor coin money, nor regulate the value thereof, nor ascertain the sums and expenses necessary for the defense and welfare of the Amsterdavanian Confederation, or any of them, nor emit bills, nor borrow money on the credit of the Amsterdavanian Confederation, nor appropriate money, nor agree upon the number of vessels of war, to be built or purchased, or the number of land or sea forces to be raised, nor appoint a commander in chief of the army or navy, unless 51 percent the Council assent to the same: nor shall a question on any other point, except for adjourning from day to day be determined, unless by the votes of the majority of the Amsterdavanian Confederation in Council assembled.

The Council of the Amsterdavanian Confederation shall have power to adjourn to any time within the year, and to any place within the Amsterdavanian Confederation, so that no period of adjournment be for a longer duration than the space of six months, and shall publish the journal of their proceedings monthly, except such parts thereof relating to treaties, alliances or military operations, as in their judgment require secrecy; and the yeas and nays of the delegates of each city and county on any question shall be entered on the journal, when it is desired by any delegates of a city or county, or any of them, at his or their request shall be furnished with a transcript of the said journal, except such parts as are above excepted, to lay before the legislatures of the several cities and counties.

Article IX. This document shall serve as the basis for the Amsterdavanian Confederation and is thus binding as law. Only a 75 percent vote of the council may change its content. Amendments shall be made through legislation and will only be regarded as law. All other legislation is secondary to this document for the creation of the Amsterdavanian Confederation.